- Abde Ezzalzouli suffers injury on international duty
- Attacker out of Morocco squad for 2026 FIFA World Cup
- Injury could deter Newcastle United’s reported pursuit
Abde Ezzalzouli has been heavily linked with a move to Newcastle United in the summer transfer window.
The Moroccan is coming on the back of an outstanding season with Real Betis and has earned rave reviews for his performances in La Liga.
We reported on Read Newcastle that Ezzalzouli is a top target for Eddie Howe, with the Magpies on the lookout for an attacker who can better or match Anthony Gordon’s end product.
However, the Moroccan has suffered an injury blow on international duty, which could scupper any potential transfer.
Abde Ezzalzouli picks up knee injury
Ezzalzouli was named in the Morocco squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after his heroics with Real Betis.
The Atlan Lions finished fourth in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, capping one of the best-ever seasons by an African side in the competition.
They have a strong squad and were expected to ruffle a few feathers once again, this time around. But they will have to make do without Ezzalzouli, who suffered an injury during the pre-World Cup friendly against Norway.
The Real Betis man was substituted at half-time with a muscle injury, much to the dismay of Morocco.
And after the game, it was confirmed that he sprained his right knee ligament, which is expected to keep him out of action for 3-4 weeks.
Realistically, Ezzalzouli is expected to miss the entire World Cup campaign, unless he returns ahead of schedule and the Atlan Lions make it deep into the tournament.
What does this mean for Newcastle United?
To be quite honest, Ezzalzouli’s injury doesn’t change much for the Magpies.
Their interest is well-documented, but no transfer could have materialised during the World Cup anyway and there are only five days for the competition to commence, so nothing can be agreed before either.
The 23-year-old is expected to be out of action for around one month, which is hardly the worst thing in the world from a Newcastle perspective.
After he returns to full fitness, the Magpies can decide whether or not they want to make a move for him and will undoubtedly be doubly careful during his medical, if it gets to that.
For the player himself, however, it is surely a massive blow as he was expected to be Morocco’s main man in attack.
Regardless of whether a move materialises in the future, here’s to hoping Ezzalzouli makes a complete recovery to return to doing what he does best.
