Sunderland player reportedly on brink of switching international allegiance ahead of September qualifiers

Sunderland midfielder Adil Aouchiche has reportedly opted to switch international allegiance from France to Algeria.

The 22-year-old has previously represented France at youth international level but, according to journalist Ait Kaci Ali, as relayed by fellow reporter Dean Ammi, is expected to declare his intention to represent Algeria moving forward.

Aouchiche was born in a north-eastern suburb of Paris, and came through Paris Saint-Germain’s celebrated academy system as youngster. Both of his parents are Algerian, however, and as such, he qualifies to play for The Fennec Foxes as well as the country of his birth.

After amassing caps at U16, U17, U18, and U20 level for France, Aouchiche has been overlooked ever since, and will likely feel that he has a much greater chance of returning to the international scene by making himself available to the Algerian FA.

At the time of writing, Algeria are 46th in the FIFA world rankings, 44 places beneath France, and have not qualified for a World Cup since 2014. They were, however, crowned champions of Africa in 2019, and boast notable names such as Riyad Mahrez, Said Benrahma, and Rayan Ait-Nouri amongst their ranks.

Speculation about Aouchiche’s international future has been prevalent for some time now. Earlier this month, Algerian outlet La Gazette du Fennec claimed that “the Algerian Football Federation has recently officially obtained its qualification from FIFA” to approach the playmaker, with Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Guinea and Liberia scheduled for September.

In a similar report on Aouchiche’s international plans, DZ Foot suggested that the Stadium of Light talent could receive a call-up next month, while also adding that “a departure from Sunderland this summer, again according to our information, would be a very plausible option for the player.”

So far, nothing has come of that speculation, with Aouchiche featuring twice for Sunderland already this season, but certainly, talk of his anticipated switch to Algeria seems to be gathering some momentum.