Ayari got the chance from the start against both Azerbaijan and Estonia when the Nations League kicked off last month. Strengthened by that, he went home to Brighton and played 90 minutes against Ipswich in the Premier League.
But then I got sick. Very sick. I contracted some weird disease. I don't know what it was, says Ayari, who suspects that he contracted some form of coronavirus.
I couldn't eat, I couldn't do anything. I couldn't close my mouth. I lost four kilos.
He has not yet reached his normal match weight, but is otherwise not suffering from any after-effects of the illness.
Recently, he was back in Brighton's squad and made a substitute appearance against Chelsea, despite not being able to eat as usual.
I only ate soup and drank stuff before the match. There was a bit of a lack of energy. But now I'm back and it feels good.
The national team is gathered in Stockholm and faces Slovakia in Bratislava on Friday and Estonia in Tallinn on Monday, both friendlies are part of the group play in the Nations League C-division.
