By Sedara Oluwadara
Hakim Ziyech will play at the World Cup as part of an experienced Morocco squad after ending a 15-month exile.
Walid Regragui’s side also stars full-Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui, who play for Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich respectively.
Chelsea attacker Ziyech, 29, had fallen out with former coach Vahid Halilhodzic, and announced his international retirement in February.
Halilhodzic had said his reason for dropping Ziyech was that the winger faked injury and displayed “unacceptable behaviour”.Mazraoui, 24, had also been left out by Halilhodzic.
However, Halilhodzic was dismissed as Morocco manager in August with the Royal Moroccan Football Federation citing “differences and divergent visions”.
It was the third time the manager had been sacked before the tournament after qualifying for the World Cup.
Regragui immediately recalled the pair when naming his first squad in September.
Morocco’s squad in Qatar is captained by former Wolves defender Romain Saiss, while it also includes West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd, who only recovered from a knee injury suffered in pre-season two weeks ago.
Former Southampton striker Sofiane Boufal will likely lead the line alongside Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri, with Gent’s Tarik Tissoudali, favoured over the summer, missing the tournament with knee ligament damage.Queens Park Rangers’ Ilias Chair is picked, but Adel Taarabt, last selected in June, has been left out, along with former Watford defender Adam Masina.
Morocco World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou (Sevilla/ESP), Munir Mohamedi (Al Wehda/KSA), Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (Wydad Casablanca)
Defenders: Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich/GER), Nayef Aguerd (West Ham/ENG), Badr Benoun (Qatar SC), Romain Saiss (Besiktas/TUR), Yahya Attiyat Allah (Wydad Casablanca), Jawad El Yamiq (Valladolid/ESP), Achraf Dari (Brest/FRA)
Midfielders: Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina/ITA), Abdelhamid Sabiri (Sampdoria/ITA), Selim Amallah (Standard Liege/BEL), Azzedine Ounahi (Angers/FRA), Bilal El Khannouss (Genk/BEL), Yahya Jabrane (Wydad Casablanca)
Forwards: Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea/ENG), Amine Harit (Marseille/FRA), Abde Ezzalzouli (Osasuna/ESP), Zakaria Aboukhlal (Toulouse/FRA), Sofiane Boufal (Angers/FRA), Ilias Chair (Queens Park Rangers/ENG), Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla/ESP), Walid Cheddira (Bari/ITA), Abderrazak Hamed Allah (Al-Ittihad/KSA)
