‘He will die for you’ – Tottenham and AC Milan transfer target Hakim Ziyech sends message as Chelsea midfielder gets Man of the Match in Morocco’s shock World Cup win over Belgium
Hakim Ziyech will likely have no shortage of suitors in January after impressing for Morocco at the World Cup.
The winger has got a break from his frustrations at Chelsea, where he has played just nine times all season, and starred for his country in Qatar.
The 29-year-old was superb in Morocco's 2-0 win over Belgium, winning the man-of-the-match award.
He provided an assist and was unlucky not to have got on the scoresheet himself.
Ziyech had the ball in the back of the net, only for VAR to rule one of his teammates was offside and impeding Thibaut Courtois.
Morocco manager Walid Regragui waxed lyrical about the midfielder after too.
He said: “He’s incredible. A lot of people talk about Hakim as a difficult guy to manage but what I see is that, when you give him love and confidence, he will die for you.
“It is what I give him and he returns my confidence”.
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Morocco now top Group F and have a strong chance of qualifying for the knockout stages.
The longer they stay in the tournament the better it will probably be for the forgotten Chelsea man.
It has been no secret that Ziyech has been keen to leave and came close to a Stamford Bridge exit in the summer.
Tottenham and AC Milan are among the clubs said to be interested in signing him.
He was asked about his future during the tournament and he admitted he was not sure what his future holds.
When asked if he would move back to the Eredivisie, Ziyech said: "It’s hard to say, difficult to say.
"We don’t know what will happen in the winter. It’s football, so it’s difficult to say."
The fact he is even playing at the World Cup is remarkable as he actually retired from international duty in February having been left out of the Africa Cup of Nations squad.
But with Regragui's appointment earlier this year, he rescinded his retirement and is now starring for them on the biggest stage of all.
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