DEFENSIVE central midfielder who signed from Egyptian champions Al-Ahly on transfer deadline day August 2007.

First name Mohamed, but known simply as "Shawky", he linked up with fellow countryman Mido after signing a three-year-contract in £650,000 deal.

At the time of his signing Shawky had represented his country 42 times and scored three goals and had been an ever-present for the then reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions Egypt for last two seasons.

He began his career with Al-Masry before switching to Al-Ahly and became famous for his powerful shots and tough tackling approach.

After helping Boro to a 1-0 win at Portsmouth in his Premier League debut just before Christmas 2007 he travelled to Ghana where he helped Egypt retain the Africa Cup of Nations title.

Although he missed the semi-final with a hamstring problem, he returned as a substitute in the 1-0 final win over Cameroon.  

Shawky made 16 appearances in three competitions for Boro during the 2008-09 season, but couldn't find the back of the net.

However, he scored in a narrow 4-3 defeat against Brazil in the Confederations Cup in June 2009, helping Egypt beat Italy 1-0 before they bowed out of the competition with a 3-0 defeat to the USA.