Vladimir Petković's ultimatum for the return of this key player to the national team | OneFootball

Petković puts the pressure on a key player for a national team comeback

Vladimir Petković's ultimatum for the return of this key player to the national team

Algeria national team head coach Vladimir Petković recently held a frank discussion with Ramiz Zerrouki to clarify his status with the squad. Dropped for the first time in nearly two years, the FC Twente midfielder is no longer part of the Greens’ immediate plans, and his return looks particularly complicated.

According to Dutch outlet Twente Inside, Petković explained to the player that his reintegration would now depend on very specific conditions. The Swiss coach made it clear that Zerrouki’s chances of taking part in AFCON 2025 are extremely slim, with the manager currently preferring Nabil Bentaleb, Hicham Boudaoui, and Adem Zorgane—not to mention the highly anticipated return of Ismaël Bennacer.

If Zerrouki hopes to make it back into the national team, he’ll need to string together top-level performances with Twente and wait patiently for a spot to open up, most likely with a view to the 2026 World Cup. At present, the 26-year-old lacks both media backing and support from the Algerian public, making his return to the Fennecs’ jersey even more uncertain.