El Aynaoui shined with Morocco at the World Cup, attracting attention from the big guys
Neil El Aynaoui shined for Morocco at the World Cup, attracting interest from Manchester United and Liverpool, while Roma appreciated his development.
Neil El Aynaoui helped Morocco advance to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup after a strong 3-0 victory over Canada, with two goals from Ounahi and one goal from Rahimi. Unlike teammate Anass Salah-Eddine, who did not play in this match, El Aynaoui is asserting his position as one of the brightest stars of the Morocco team alongside Hakimi, Brahim Diaz and Saibari.
El Aynaoui, a former Lens player, plays a central role in coach Mohamed Ouahbi's squad. He was the player who received the most passes (310), traveled the most (59.78 km) and played 473 out of 480 minutes of the tournament, behind only Bounou and Hakimi in the squad. Although he missed a penalty once in the match against the Netherlands, El Aynaoui's form has proven that he is a formidable midfielder since participating in the African Cup last year.
The World Cup is clearly a big opportunity for players to shine and El Aynaoui is making the transfer market exciting. While Real Madrid and Barcelona have expressed interest, Manchester United and Liverpool are also closely monitoring the 2001-born player. However, Roma are also very satisfied with his development and have sent a message to potential teams: 30 million euros may not be enough to convince them to release him.
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