A year of scouting, and Germany still won
Younes Ebnoutalib is going to play for Germany. The 23-year-old Eintracht Frankfurt striker has made his call, and Jurgen Klopp, who has kept him in his thinking for months, gets his man.
Morocco asked the question first. Mohamed Ouahbi confirmed as much on Thursday, and he was in no mood to pretend otherwise.
“We have been monitoring him since last season, he was in our preliminary lists,” the Atlas Lions boss said. Then came the jab at his German counterparts: “I do not think it was the same with Germany.”
Try it for $0.99.
Scouts, a report, a phone call, a no
None of this happened by accident. Ouahbi walked through the whole process: scouts dispatched, a full report written up, then a direct conversation with the player himself.
“I explained the project to him without making any promises, but he made his choice,” the coach said.
Timing did most of the damage. An injury last season pushed Ebnoutalib out of realistic World Cup contention, and the file went cold. A strong opening to this Bundesliga campaign reopened it. By then Germany had already moved.
“Morocco is not for sale”
That is the sentence that will travel. “Morocco is not for sale, it has to be earned,” Ouahbi said.
He did not soften what came after either. “He deserved a call-up, he would have got one, I won’t hide that. But he chose Germany, good luck to him.”
Ebnoutalib was in the plans for the coming window. He walked through the other door instead. European-raised dual nationals remain the most fiercely contested resource in international football, and Morocco have been beaten to this one.
Discover the latest FOOT news on our website and mathodds app!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply