Rabat Ajax star Hakim Ziyech is out of Morocco’s Africa Cup of Nations squad.
Morocco have named their 23-man squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, but they are without a number of their top players. One such player is Ajax star Hakim Ziyech, who was expected to play a key role in the tournament. The 26-year-old was one of the standout players in the Eredivisie this season and finished as joint top scorer with 20 goals. He also helped his side to win the KNVB Cup, which secured qualification for next season’s Europa League. Despite his impressive club form, Ziyech has been left out of Morocco’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.
There are a number of reasons why Ziyech has been left out, but most stem from his poor performances at international level and the fact that he wasn’t named in any pre-tournament friendlies. The midfielder has made 15 appearances for Morocco since making his debut in 2014 and only scored once during that time. In fact, he hasn’t scored since 2015 when he netted against Gabon during a World Cup qualifier.
Ziyech is also believed to have clashed with coach Herve Renard on several occasions. This led to him being dropped from Morocco’s 2018 World Cup squad after not being named in any pre-tournament friendlies.
