African player of the year Achraf Hakimi will make his first appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) when hosts Morocco play Zambia on Monday, coach Walid Regragui confirmed.
“What he has done to come back is extraordinary. What I can say is that Achraf will play tomorrow,” Regragui said Sunday in Rabat, on the eve of Morocco’s last group game.
“Whether he starts or not, it will be his first match at the AFCON.
“What we want — because we want to go as far as possible — is that Achraf progresses with the team and that we can keep him for the whole competition.”
Hakimi has not played since suffering an ankle injury in action for Paris Saint-Germain at the beginning of November and was an unused substitute in Morocco’s first two matches at the Cup of Nations.
Without him, Morocco beat Comoros 2-0 in the tournament’s opening game before being held to a 1-1 draw by Mali on Friday.
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They sit top of Group A with four points from two outings and a win against Zambia will allow them to advance to the last 16 in first place in their section. A draw will also guarantee their spot in the knockout phase.
“I think people don’t realise what Achraf brings to our team,” Regragui added.
“We have played two games without our best player, our leader and captain, but we have not hidden. Other players have stood in for him.
“But would we be a different team with Achraf? Of course. He is the best player in Africa, one of the best in the world.”
Hakimi admitted his frustration at not having taken part in either of the first two matches and said he was disappointed that Moroccan supporters had jeered the hosts during the draw against Mali.
“We know it is not easy sometimes, that they want us to win and finish games by half-time, but we have to respect our opponents too,” said the defender who helped PSG win the Champions League last season.
“It is not normal for them to boo us. We want to have the supporters behind us.
“I experienced that at Paris Saint-Germain when we were not winning in the Champions League, we were losing games, people said we were not a great team and didn’t have a great coach, but we went on to be champions of Europe.
“If the fans are behind us we can be champions of Africa together.”
Meanwhile, Hakimi added he was delighted to see his friend and former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe, now with Real Madrid, in the crowd at the match against Mali.
“It is really nice to see my friend here in my country. He really likes Morocco and comes here whenever he can with his family. He loves the food here!”
