Wolves player not called-up for ‘private and profound reasons’ – Will get chance in March

A notable talent from a very young age, Rayan Aït-Nouri has had the choice to either play for France or Algeria at international level.

Now at Wolverhampton Wanderers, the left-back has been in and out of the first-team of late, sitting on the bench during the 2-0 loss to Arsenal.

Whether that continues to be the case with Julen Lopetegui at the helm remains to be seen, and we won’t fully know until after the World Cup break, but what is now certain is that he will be representing Algeria going forward.

This comes from their national team manager, Djamel Belmadi, who spoke about the situation during a press conference on Sunday, where he mentioned the Wolves player.

He said, relayed by Africa Foot United: “A larger list with Aït-Nouri, Aouar? I can tell you that Rayan Aït Nouri has changed sporting nationality. That’s done for three or four days already. Those who said that Aït-Nouri would be present during this call-up didn’t have the right information.

“He could not respond favourable this time for private and profound reasons. If he’s in form, not injured, Aït-Nouri is available for the month of March. That’s good news for him and the national team.”

Signed from Angers during the summer of 2021 for around €11m, the 21-year-old didn’t take that much time to make a space for himself at Wolves.

He has represented the Molineux side 63 times since then, scoring two goals and assisting another eight.