Tawfik Bentayeb has been given permission to join Morocco’s squad despite suffering a facial injury for Anderlecht, but he will not be available for the Lions of the Atlas’ opening match against Gabon.
The 24-year-old striker was selected by Mohamed Ouahbi for Morocco’s upcoming games against Gabon on 25 September in Rabat, Lesotho on 29 September in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and Ghana on 4 October in Tangier.
Bentayeb was substituted in the 55th minute of Anderlecht’s 3-0 win over Zulte Waregem on Saturday, during the seventh round of the Jupiler Pro League. He had scored once and provided an assist before being forced off.
Anderlecht confirmed in a statement that Bentayeb had been cleared to report for international duty. However, the club also said he would miss the meeting with Gabon because he must follow a medical protocol requiring him to stay away from football for at least a week.
The injury occurred when Bentayeb was accidentally struck by Laurent Lemoine as he attempted to deliver the pass that led to his assist. Although the blow affected his availability for the first Morocco fixture, he is still expected to join the national-team camp.
Bentayeb moved to Belgium a month ago after an impressive loan spell with Troyes. He finished last season as Ligue 2’s leading scorer with 18 goals and subsequently earned his move to Anderlecht from Union Touarga.
He has scored two goals and provided one assist in all competitions since the start of the current campaign.
The forward has made one appearance for Morocco so far. His debut came on 26 May in a 5-0 friendly victory over Burundi, when he scored a goal and set up two more.
His latest call-up therefore brings mixed news: Bentayeb will be able to work with the Morocco squad, but the medical restrictions mean he cannot feature in the match against Gabon.