Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri have spent the majority of this season on the periphery of the Manchester City squad. Injury came at the worst time for both players, which cost them valuable time on the pitch for Pep Guardiola’s side. The rise of Nico O’Reilly has seen Ait-Nouri become City’s second-choice left-back, and Marmoush seems to be Erling Haaland’s backup at this point of the season. For now, both players are unavailable for City due to the AFCON, which is currently being played. While it hurts City to have both players unavailable, their participation in the tournament could aid Manchester City’s cause later this season.
Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri have the opportunity to play regularly for the country.
Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri have already played a game at AFCON for Egypt and Algeria, respectively. Marmoush got on the scoresheet in Egypt’s 2-1 win over Zimbabwe in their opening Group B fixture at the African Cup of Nations. Marmoush was also named man-of-the-match for his efforts, which shows that despite not playing regularly for City, he is in good form. The hope is that he can build on his opening performance of the tournament and have a big impact on the competition for Egypt.
A stunning goal and display earns Egypt’s Omar Marmoush the TotalEnergies Man of the Match award. 🇪🇬🌟#TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 | @Football2Gether pic.twitter.com/3PwTBdeA9t
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) December 22, 2025
Rayan Ait-Nouri started at left-back for Algeria in their 3-nil win over Sudan to begin their AFCON campaign. Former Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez scored a brace to grab the headlines in Algeria’s win. Ait-Nouri played 61 minutes before being substituted as he put in a good performance while he was on the pitch. Rayan Ait-Nouri will be hoping to grow into the tournament for Algeria as the tournament progresses.
It may help Manchester City to have Ait-Nouri and Marmoush return with match sharpness.
Rayan Ait-Nouri and Omar Marmoush will both be happy to see their nations win their opening games at the African Cup of Nations. Algeria and Egypt are two of the favourites for the tournament so the expectation is that both players will have bigger games to come. In a way, their participation in the competition may benefit Manchester City later this season.
Both players haven’t had the opportunities they would have liked for Pep Guardiola’s side this season. Injuries and the form of other players have seen the pair become squad players at City. Each player hasn’t had the opportunity to play regularly this season. Their participation at AFCON gives them the opportunity to play and build up their form and match fitness before returning to City. That is an opportunity they may not have gotten at Manchester City at this stage of the season. If they can return to City in form, Pep Guardiola’s side will be in a very good position for the latter stages of this season.
Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri have made bright starts to the African Cup of Nations. The hope is that both players can return to Manchester City in form and ready to make an impact when their participation at the tournament ends. That would be ideal for City given what will lie ahead for Pep Guardiola’s side when the pair eventually return from international duty.