Rayan Ait-Nouri's season has gone from bad to worse. The Manchester City left-back has been sent home early from international duty by Algeria after his frustration boiled over during their 3-1 AFCON qualifying win over Zambia.
The incident stemmed from a substitution that never came. Algeria took a second-minute lead, but Zambia equalised in the 57th minute. Before that goal, Ait-Nouri had been asked to warm up by manager Brahim Hemdani, as reported by Luke Power for the Daily Mail. Following Zambia's equaliser, Hemdani ordered the defender back to his seat on the bench.
That was enough to trigger a furious outburst. According to Power's report, neither Ait-Nouri's teammates nor the Algerian staff could calm him down. Within hours, the Algerian Football Federation released a statement, relayed by TalkSport, confirming his dismissal.
"The national coach, Mr Brahim Hemdani, decided this Saturday to release the player Rayan Ait-Nouri from the current training camp of the national team."
The statement added: "The Algerian international will return to his club, Manchester City."
It is a sorry end to a call-up that had offered a chance to build some rhythm. Ait-Nouri has made just two appearances in all competitions for City this season, his only start coming in the 5-0 Carabao Cup third-round win over Norwich City. He has not been able to get on the pitch in the Premier League at all.
The reasons are straightforward enough. Enzo Maresca has preferred Josko Gvardiol at left-back, with Nico O'Reilly seemingly the next in line. Ait-Nouri has instead been used as a left winger, but even that route is blocked. Antoine Semenyo has started the season strongly, and Jeremy Doku's return from injury makes the competition for wide minutes even fiercer.
So where does this leave him? Forcing his way into contention is the obvious answer, but how he does it isn't immediately clear. The positions he plays are stacked with options, and a public meltdown on international duty won't have helped his cause.
He returns to Manchester now, with a point to prove and very little room to prove it in.