Rayan Aït-Nouri has been left out of the Algeria squad for November, and the national team coach has made it clear that his lack of minutes at Manchester City is only part of the reason.
Brahim Hemdani named a 26-man group on Thursday for the double-header against Togo on 14 and 17 November, two qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Algeria lead their group after two games, ahead of Zambia, Togo and Burundi, but there was no place for the City left-back.
It is another setback for a player who has not played a single Premier League minute this season, and it lands at an awkward moment, with Manchester United still keen on taking him across the city in January.
What did Hemdani say about Aït-Nouri?
At first, very little. Asked at his press conference whether the omission was tactical or something else, Hemdani pointed to the options he already has. “There is no problem. Today we have one left-back, Jaouen Hadjam, and also Ramy Bensebaini, who can play on the left. So we have two players who can play in that position,” he said.
When the question came back a few moments later, he was far more direct. “The doors of the national team are open to everyone, but there are criteria to come. The first is having playing time, the second is respecting a clear way of working. So today, with regard to those two criteria, it was normal that I took this decision. But in the future, everything is still possible and nobody is excluded for good,” Hemdani said.
Why was the City defender sent home last time?
That second criterion is the telling one. Aït-Nouri was sent home from Algeria’s previous camp, and reports in Algeria linked it to his behaviour around the 3-1 game against Zambia, with talk of a clash with Hemdani’s staff.
So this is not simply a coach waiting for a player to get games. Hemdani has drawn a line on discipline too, while leaving the door open for a return.
There is a City link elsewhere in the squad. Feyenoord winger Anis Hadj Moussa, who has been backed to make the step up to the Etihad, is in the group, along with two new faces: CSKA Moscow right-back Mohamed Azzi and Deportivo Alavés left wing-back Abderrahman Rebbach.
Does this push Aït-Nouri closer to a January exit?
It is hard to see it any other way. Nico O’Reilly and Josko Gvardiol are ahead of him under Enzo Maresca, and his football this season has come in the Carabao Cup and a couple of short Champions League cameos. Manchester United want him in January, and personal terms are not an issue, but a deal between the two clubs is a different matter.
United are short at left-back, and City are thought to want around £30m if they sell. A 25-year-old who is now missing out for his country as well as his club has every reason to push for a way out.
Verdict: Rayan Aït-Nouri needs games, and fast
We think Hemdani has done City a favour, in a strange way. His message is simple: play regularly and behave, and you will be back. Aït-Nouri cannot do the first part at the Etihad right now.
Unless Maresca suddenly finds a role for him, January has to be the answer. City should sell at the right price rather than let a player with his talent fade out of the picture for club and country.
