Mohamed Salah appeared uncomfortable and eager to protect his injured shoulder as an Egypt fan attempted to claim a selfie with the Liverpool star.
The 25-year-old, who suffered the problem in the Champions League final following a challenge from Sergio Ramos , was greeted by a supporter as he got off the Egyptian team coach at Cairo airport.
And it was a moment that is unlikely to fill Egyptian fans with confidence that their star man will be fit and ready to go for his nation's World Cup opener against Uruguay on June 15 .
As the video at the top of the page shows, the fan flung his arm around the Liverpool star as he took a photo on his mobile phone, with a startled Salah quickly removing the man's arm from his seemingly still damaged shoulder.
The footage, courtesy of Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm , comes at a time when the signs had been looking hugely encouraging that Salah would be ready for the World Cup - and that he could even be in the starting XI for their first Group A game.
Prior to boarding the flight to Russia, Salah trained for the first time with his Egypt team-mates and seemed in good spirits as a miraculous recovery looked as if it had been achieved.
But media reports in Egypt have speculated that the former Roma forward's availability for the opener is premature, and that he may not even feature for the Pharaohs until their third group game - a meeting with Saudi Arabia on June 25.
Salah had insisted he was ready to play against Uruguay, suggesting he had shaken off the injury problem , although Egypt's team doctor has since urged caution and claimed that he may not be fit enough to feature.
The shoulder injury itself has received huge media attention in the build-up to the World Cup, with a petition having been set up demanding that Ramos be punished for the challenge that seemed to put Salah's participation in Russia in huge doubt .
Since then, Ramos even suggested that Salah could have carried on in the second half if he had had an injection at half-time of the Champions League final - a claim laughed off by the Egyptian on Saturday as he spoke about the incident for the first time .