Wolves star makes national team decision in game time gamble - but will now miss World Cup

Wolverhampton Wanderers wing-back Rayan Aït-Nouri has decided to change his sporting nationality, according to reports. The 21-year-old, who has represented France at two levels - under 21 and under 18 - is expected to switch his allegiance to Algeria.

Although born in France, Aït-Nouri is of Algerian descent and is therefore eligible to represent The Fennec Foxes internationally. With this in mind, Aït-Nouri has already decided to make a switch, according to France 24, via reputable Algerian outlet DZfoot.

The Wanderers youngster isn’t the only player looking to make the move, with Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Houssem Aouar, who has also previously played for France at youth level, also said to have made the same decision.

The best-known players who currently represent Algeria include Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez, Nice defender Youcef Atal, AC Milan midfielder Ismaël Bennacer, and former Leicester City striker Islam Slimani.

Perhaps one of the reasons Aït-Nouri looks set to make the call is a greater likelihood of game time. France currently have a whole host of world-class talents in their wing-back slots, with the likes of Benjamin Pavard and Ferland Mendy playing recently.

Aït-Nouri, at least at this stage of his career, is very unlikely to ever displace either of these two, or plenty of the French backup options for that matter. With Algeria meanwhile, the Wolves man wouldn’t just be a backup option but rather a potential key player.

It could also go down to personal reasons with a change of heart, or something entirely different. It awaits to be seen and Aït-Nouri is yet to comment - but if and when his sporting nationality switch becomes official, there is likely to be a statement to accompany it.

One thing that is certain is that Aït-Nouri will not be heading to the FIFA World Cup this year. Algeria, who have appeared at the competition on four occasions, have failed to qualify this time around. They were knocked out in the play-off by fellow African side Cameroon.