Southampton’s Sofiane Boufal was unsurprisingly overlooked for Morocco’s World Cup squad by manager Hervé Renard after an inconsistent season with the Saints. Yet even with his absence, Morocco have enough creativity within their ranks thanks to star men Hakim Ziyech and Younes Belhanda.
Belhanda – a Ligue 1 winner with Montpellier in 2011/12 – was a key player for Galatasaray last season, pulling the strings in midfield to contribute three goals and eight assists in his team’s title-winning campaign. The Morocco international is known for his passing ability and close control on the ball.
Morocco boss Renard is expected to deploy the 28-year-old as a No.10 role in a bid to maximise his creative prowess.