Morocco Coach Eyes Dual Nationals for World Cup and AFCON Squad Boost

Morocco is participating in two major competitions, the Africa Cup of Nations and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Vahid Halilodzic announces many surprises regarding the composition of the team as he is betting on a rejuvenation of the group. He has already ticked the names of some dual nationals he intends to convince to be there on June 8 and 12. Despite the friendly nature of these two matches against Ghana and Burkina Faso, the Atlas Lions want to win them to move up in the FIFA ranking, reports Hespress.

In the coach’s sights is Amine Adli, from Toulouse’s youth academy who signed his first professional contract with the French club in 2018, before making his Ligue 1 debut in a trip to Nice (3-0 defeat). He gets his first start on January 4, 2020 where he plays the entire match which ends in a 1-0 defeat in the French Cup against Saint-Pryvé Saint-Hilaire FC. He plays a total of four league matches during a crisis season for Toulouse who are relegated, finishing last in Ligue 1. In May 2021, at the UNFP football trophies 2021, he receives the award for best Ligue 2 player. Adli is closely followed by AC Milan and Olympique de Marseille who both want to secure the services of the young player this summer.

There is also on the list of the Franco-Bosnian coach, Anouar Ait Lhadj who is making a sensation in the Jupiler Pro League. "We are following him, but I won’t say any more," he had said in the columns of Nieuwbland. The Belgian-Moroccan has already worn the colors of Belgium at U16, U17 and U18 levels. At 18 years old, he is already attracting both his countries, Morocco and Belgium. Often compared to M’barek Boussoufa, he could be a major asset in Halilhodzic’s team. With 3 goals in 21 matches with the Belgian club, the young player has not yet spoken out about his future in the national team and is leaving the suspense.

The other player in the sights of the coach is Imran Louza. Holding dual French and Moroccan nationality, Louza is still hesitating to make a choice between France and Morocco, although he is happy to play with the Blues at U20 level. "It’s not simple. It’s a personal choice. Everyone will choose what they want. Deep down, really. Today, I have chosen the French national team and I am very happy. Join the Moroccan A team for the CAN qualifiers? Today, I am focused on FC Nantes. After, we’ll see..." he had said last year.

There is also Issa Diop, presented as the man with multiple choices since he is of Senegalese, Moroccan, French origin. While he won the under-19 championship with the French youth team in 2016, Diop continues to hope for a call-up from the Blues coach, Didier Deschamps. "Even if I’m not selected, I’m at the coach’s disposal. These are his choices, I continue to work to be selected. Yes, it’s an objective, I hope one day I can play for the French national team but for that, I still have a lot of progress to make," said the former Toulouse player. Last October, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) had already tried to convince the player to join the Atlas Lions but in vain.