Aissa Mandi has been left on the bench for Levante’s past two matches, marking the first difficult spell of his club career since he retired from international football with Algeria.

The 34-year-old defender started each of Levante’s opening six La Liga fixtures, but watched the entire 3-3 draw with Sevilla and the subsequent 1-1 draw away to Deportivo La Coruna from the sidelines.

Manager Luis Castro selected Adrian de la Fuente alongside the young Ifeanyi Ndukwe in central defence on both occasions. The consecutive omissions represent an early setback for Mandi, who joined Levante partly to provide experience to the side.

Mandi ended his 12-year international career with Algeria three months ago, a decision that was expected to allow him to focus fully on what was intended to be the final challenge of his club career. Instead, he has quickly found himself facing competition for his place at Levante.

The situation is a sharp contrast to his previous campaign with Lille. Despite Algeria’s difficult World Cup experience, Mandi enjoyed an impressive season at club level and was voted the best player at Lille by the club’s supporters.

After Lille decided not to extend his contract, Mandi moved to Levante as a free agent on a two-year deal. The transfer took him back to a league he knows well after previous spells with Real Betis and Villarreal.

The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations winner could have been preparing for another Champions League campaign with Lille. Instead, he is now involved in a fight for survival with Levante, who currently sit 17th in La Liga.

For a player with Mandi’s experience and recent club form, the prospect of finishing his European career in the relative anonymity of a battle near the bottom of the Spanish table would represent a disappointing outcome.

Speaking on the Kampo podcast after announcing his international retirement, Mandi said criticism had never influenced his decision to leave Algeria.

“I have always received criticism,” he said, adding that professionals needed to learn how to maintain perspective.

His current circumstances provide another test of that approach. Freed from the travel and pressure associated with international duty, Mandi should theoretically have more time to recover physically and work his way back into Levante’s starting XI.

The defender’s position will be worth monitoring. He has made more than 200 appearances in La Liga and possesses a level of experience few of his rivals can match.

Algeria supporters, who were sometimes critical of him during his international career, have not forgotten their former captain and record appearance-holder. His retirement has also left the national team with a significant rebuilding task in defence.

Mandi’s immediate challenge is to respond at club level and prevent his European career from fading quietly.