According to Footmercato reports, in order to catch up with the first game of the African Cup of Nations against Comoros, Morocco captain Ashraf decided not to undergo surgery, but the recovery situation in the next few weeks will determine whether this goal can be achieved.
In the Champions League match against Bayern, Achraf was tackled by Luis Dias. The Moroccan burst into tears when he left the field. He was worried that he would not be able to participate in the African Cup of Nations held in Morocco. As the captain of the Moroccan national team, Ashraf did think of the worst-case scenario at the time and worried that he might break his bones. This also worried Moroccan fans.
In the end, Ashraf's diagnosis was slightly better, but it was still a severe left ankle sprain. The player and his team had expected the worst outcome, so they took some comfort in this diagnosis because the goal of participating in the African Cup of Nations was not impossible to achieve. Although he is expected to be out for 6 to 8 weeks, he will not undergo surgery in order to retain the chance to participate in the African Cup of Nations and hopes to recover as soon as possible.
Achraf's team believes that it is not impossible for him to return to the competition when the tournament starts (December 21, approximately 6 weeks later). The 27-year-old Ashraf celebrated his birthday on the day he was injured. He is determined not to miss any game in this African Cup and has already discussed it with the coaching staff of the Moroccan national team. He didn't want to waste time maximizing his chances of competing in the event. However, the recovery process isn't an exact science, so he won't rush things so as not to aggravate the injury.