Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech has withdrawn from Morocco’s squad as part of an agreement between the blues and the national team.
The midfielder has not yet made his debut for the London club after he suffered a knee injury during a pre-season game against Brighton in the month of August.
Ziyech, who was signed in a £33.3m deal from Ajax in February, had been training with the club’s first-team squad before the international break but Frank Lampard said that the player was still short of fitness.
Chelsea allowed Ziyech to join Morocco’s national team this week and the winger returned from injury to play 31 minutes in the 3-1 win against Senegal on Friday.
Ziyech was outstanding in his second-half cameo in Rabat and even provided an assist for Morocco’s third strike.
But The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (RMFF) has confirmed that the player has now withdrawn from the squad ahead of their friendly match against DR Congo on Tuesday.
The RMFF also confirmed that Chelsea wanted Ziyech to get some playing time during the international break in order to boost his match fitness.
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However, Chelsea’s medical staff also reached an agreement with Morocco that would allow Hakim Ziyech to return to London after he played in the friendly gamr against Senegal.
Ziyech could now be in line to make his Chelsea debut next Saturday as Chelsea face Southampton in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, the blues are assessing the fitness of Edouard Mendy after the goalkeeper was forced to withdraw from Senegal’s squad due to an injury this week.
The 28-year-old pulled out of training on Wednesday and has now returned to London for tests on his injury. But Mendy is optimistic that he will miss only a maximum of two weeks.
