Walid Regragui, the Moroccan national team coach, held a press conference last night after the 1-1 draw against Mali in the second round of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. He was notably asked about the possible return of Achraf Hakimi, the 27-year-old right-back from Paris Saint-Germain, against Zambia this Monday.
Regragui: “We have a chance of seeing Achraf Hakimi”
“We have a chance of seeing Achraf Hakimi either start or come on as a substitute. He was expected to play at least 10 minutes, but we preferred not to take any risks. We’ll play him to get him back into shape. He’ll be ready for the knockout stages, that’s for sure.”
After warming up yesterday, without coming on as a substitute, Hakimi will likely take this long-awaited step of returning to competition this Monday. Excellent news for him and his team. Caution is necessary after all the hard work he’s put in since the beginning of November, but it seems like the right time for him to return to competition. Perhaps not as a starter, but even an appearance is very positive, especially with what’s to come against Morocco and PSG.
