Player profile

Algeria’s star player provides the team’s artistry, usually drifting in from the left wing. A gifted dribbler, Ziani nonetheless struggled to make an impact at club level this season following a £6m move to 2009 German champions Wolfsburg.

His only contribution to the back pages in Germany was a training ground bust-up with Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko in August. Ziani made only six starts, with two of his 10 substitute appearances coming against Man Utd in the Champions League, and his only game in the second half of the season was as a substitute in a 5-1 home defeat by Hertha Berlin in March. In April, a frustrated Ziani said he could not understand why he was “getting ignored.” He now has a new boss to impress – Steve McClaren.

Ziani was born in France, where he had spent his entire career until last year, latterly with Marseille.

He began his career at Troyes but made his mark following a 2004 move to Second Division Lorient, where coach Christian Gourcuff tapped the 5ft 7in playmaker’s potential by switching him to the wing. After helping Lorient win promotion in his second season, Ziani joined top-flight Sochaux (scoring eight goals in 36 league games) and then spent two years at Marseille.

Ziani was voted Algeria’s footballer of the year three times in a row from 2004 and 2006. During winter in the 2008-09 season he reportedly wore a woolly hat while playing for Marseille - could the cold winter nights in South Africa tempt him into a repeat?