After a record-breaking season in Saudi Arabia, striker Abderrazak Hamdallah is set for his first Morocco appearance since Herve Renard took over as coach.
Renard has included Hamdallah in his provisional 27-man squad for an Africa Cup of Nations training camp in the coastal city of Sale.
Hamdallah scored 34 goals in 30 league games as Al Nassr won the league in Saudi Arabia. His tally broke the all-time record for goals in a Saudi Arabian season.
As expected Ajax forward Hakim Ziyech, Borussia Dortmund left-back Achraf Hakimi, and Al-Duhail’s former Juventus defender Medhi Benatia are all on the list.
The squad includes all the players who took part in last year’s World Cup with the exception of Aziz Bouhaddouz, who was overlooked after failing to play regularly since Russia.
Also included are Ajax’s Noussair Mazraoui and AZ Alkmar’s Oussama Idrissi, who both committed to playing for Morocco rather than the Netherlands since the World Cup. As well as the training camp the Atlas Lions will play two friendlies against Gambia 12 June and Zambia four days later in Marrakech.
Morocco provisional squad: Goalkeepers: El Kajoui (Malaga, Spain), Yassine Bounou (Girona, Spain), Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (Wydad Casablanca), Abdelali Mhamdi (RS Berkane); Defenders: Marouane Da Costa (Al Ittihad Saudi Arabia), Romain Saiss (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England), Mehdi Benatia (Al Duhail Sports, Qatar), Achraf Hakimi (Borussia Dortmund, Germany), Abdelhamid Yunis (Reims, France), Noussair Mazroaui (Ajax Amsterdam, Netherlands), Nabil Dirar (Fenerbache, Turkey); Midfielders: Karim El Ahmadi Arroussi (Al Ittihad, Saudi Arabia), Youssef Aït Bennasser (St Etienne, France), Mbark Boussoufa (Al Shabab, Saudi Arabia), Younes Belhanda (Galatasaray, Turkey), Fayçal Fajr (Caen, France), Abdelkrim Baadi (Hassania Agadir) Mehdi Bourabia (Sassuolo, Italy), Amine Harit (Schalke 04, Germany); Forwards: Nordin Amrabat (Al Nassr, Saudi Arabia), Hakim Ziyech (Ajax Amsterdam, Netherlands), Ayoub El Kaabi (Hebei China Fortune FC, China), Khalid Boutaib (Zamalek, Egypt), Youssef En-Nesyri (Leganes , Spain), Soufiane Boufal (Celta Vigo, Spain), Osama Idrissi (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands), Abderazzak Hamdallah (Al Nassr, Saudi Arabia).
