Midfielder Sofiane Feghouli was a surprise omission as Algeria named their 23-man squad on Saturday for the African Nations Cup finals in Gabon.
Algeria, among the pre-tournament favourites, also left out Carl Medjani, who has been a consistent choice since his debut in 2010.
Feghouli had featured in just seven league games for his club West Ham United this season and had been subject of speculation over a move back to France.
The choices by Coach George Leekens came after just one match in charge for the veteran Belgian trainer, appointed only last month after Algeria’s poor start to the 2018 World Cup qualification campaign.
He included uncapped 21-year old Rennes defender Ramy Bensebaini in his squad who will warm-up with two friendlies against Mauritania next week before heading to the tournament.
Algeria open their tournament against Zimbabwe in Franceville on January 15 and also meet Tunisia and Senegal in Group B.
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