While El Aynaoui further cements his place in the Moroccan NT, his future at Roma remains surprisingly uncertain. Can he finally get a fair chance next season?
Seven games, seven starts at the Africa Cup. Four games, four starts at the current FIFA World Cup so far. It’s fair to say El Aynaoui is a pillar of the Moroccan NT, one of the most entertaining sides in the world right now. Usually deployed as a defensive or central midfielder, Neil bosses the midfield alongside the likes of El Khannouss,
Bouadi, and Saibari.
An Africa Cup trophy, followed by convincing displays vs Brazil and the Netherlands, and now a doable clash against Canada coming up: the WC quarter-finals are within reach. Nowadays, the sky is the limit for Neil and Morocco. But at his club, AS Roma, that sky looks a bit cloudier.
An undisputed starter for Morocco, ‘only’ a utility player for the Giallorossi. While Gasperini has to choose two players from Koné, Cristante, Pisilli and El Aynaoui for his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, Cristante and Koné usually receive the honors in the double pivot.
Last season, Neil participated in 30 games, but he only started eight and was a substitute in seventeen. Five times, he did not leave the bench at all. The homejacking incident in March likely affected Neil. He had the fewest minutes of all four players, less than one-third of Cristante’s total and under half of Koné’s. Although the Africa Cup during midseason contributed to this, Neil was seldom the first choice even when available.
It’s puzzling for Moroccans worldwide, but that’s just Roma and Gasperini’s style, I suppose. Though GPG typically requires his midfielders to play with high intensity, power, pace, and aggression—traits well suited to someone like Neil—he tends to favor different types, such as Cristante or Koné. It seems Roma and Morocco operate in completely different worlds.
Mind you, El Aynaoui’s first season at Roma wasn’t a disaster. There were a couple of masterclasses, and Roma once again qualified for the CL, but it’s still uncertain whether Neil will be part of that comeback. A couple of Premier League clubs (big and small) are monitoring the situation. Meanwhile, Neil’s value keeps rising thanks to the World Cup, and we all know Roma needs to sell to keep the FIFA bobos happy.
This summer, Gasperini needs to be clear: if he intends to use Neil as he does his Moroccan colleague Ouahbi, then fine. If Neil is once again stuck on the bench behind Cristante, Koné, or a new guy like Freuler, then we need to seriously consider selling Neil and moving on.
Not because he’s not good enough. On the contrary, he’s simply too good to be a rotational player at a club like Roma. He needs to protect his career. The loss will clearly be ours, though.
