The national coach Mohamed Wahbi stated that defender Nayef Akard, player of Olympique Marseille, showed a strong desire to represent the Moroccan national team in the previous Africa Cup, despite suffering from an injury, thus confirming the extent of sacrifice made by Moroccan national team players for the national jersey.
Wahbi pointed out that Akard pushed himself a lot to be with the “Atlas Lions,” before resuming his journey with his club after undergoing a precise surgical operation, highlighting his determination to return to the field strongly.
In a special statement to Arriadia channel, Mohamed Wahbi explained that the final date for Akard’s return to participate with the Moroccan national team will remain dependent on his full physical readiness.
Wahbi confirmed that the player has enough experience and skills to quickly return to his usual level without needing a long period of matches or training, which reflects the great confidence the technical staff has in him.
Regarding the veteran goalkeeper Munir El Mahmoudi, the national coach emphasized his high psychological readiness, noting that this was clearly reflected in his previous participation with the “Atlas Lions,” most notably in the crucial match against Belgium in the Qatar World Cup competitions.
Mohamed Wahbi added that El Mahmoudi has exerted great effort recently to fully restore his readiness, explaining that goalkeepers usually regain their form quickly, especially with the experience and confidence they possess, which makes the technical team rely heavily on him within the ranks of the Moroccan national team and confirms his pivotal role in the group.
