Six Premier League games. Six wins for Manchester City. Zero minutes for Rayan Aït-Nouri. The Algerian left-back was not in Enzo Maresca’s squad for Sunday’s trip to Liverpool (0-3), having already been left out of the derby against Manchester United.
The English club has given no official explanation, Afrik-Foot points out, which rules out talk of a sanction. But the sporting picture is harsh: 105 minutes played this season, over two games, for three assists (one against Porto in the Champions League, two against Norwich in the League Cup). In other words, the former Wolverhampton man delivers when given a chance. Except he is not being given one.
And with Algeria?
The timing is terrible. At the end of September, unhappy at not playing against Zambia, he showed his frustration on the bench before leaving the national team camp. Brahim Hemdani then left him out for the games against Burundi and Niger. Meanwhile, Jaouen Hadjam is earning points on the left.
To get back into the national team, he has to play. To play, he has to convince Maresca. Afrik-Foot already sees a January exit as his most likely way out.