Manchester United secured the signature of Moroccan full-back Noussair Mazraoui in the summer transfer window as Erik ten Hag once again targeted one of his former players. Ten Hag worked with Mazraoui during their time at Ajax before the 27-year-old moved to Bayern Munich.
By Matt Smith
With Ten Hag now out the door and Rúben Amorim arriving, Mazraoui and United supporters may be wondering where the versatile full-back is going to fit in under the new manager. Considering his early displays at Old Trafford, Mazraoui should have no problems impressing the Portuguese coach.
Defensively, Mazraoui has been excellent for United so far this season, perhaps surprisingly considering he’s predominantly played in sides where he’s not forced to defend too often. At Bayern and Ajax, both teams were heavily possession-dominant, meaning Mazraoui could focus on trying to make things happen in the opposition’s half of the pitch.
A move to United has forced Mazraoui into having to defend for large portions of games due to their poor form of late and lack of dominance, and he’s shown that he’s more than capable. The 27-year-old has averaged 2.2 tackles per 90 minutes, while also winning a whopping 77 duels, putting him in the top percentile in the Premier League for players in his position. Mazraoui has also shown aerial dominance at full-back, winning 66.7% of his battles in the air.
Mazraoui’s incredible versatility has even seen him line up in an attacking midfielder position for United, with Ten Hag tinkering with his side in the Europa League. Although naturally a full-back, Mazraoui often comes into central areas and is willing to invert to help out in the build-up. The full-back has also played on either side of defence during his time at United and hasn’t fully settled on one position, showing his adaptability.
Under Amorim, we could see Mazraoui given more license to showcase his attacking ability rather than having to defend for the majority of games. Last season for Bayern in the Bundesliga, Mazraoui averaged 0.18 expected assists (xA) per 90 minutes, while he’s only managed 0.10 per 90 this season with the Red Devils. The appointment of Amorim could see Mazraoui take on a wing-back role in his favoured three-at-the-back system.
Although Mazraoui hasn’t shown a huge creative threat at Old Trafford so far, he’s proved that he can add a spark in the final third, running from deep and taking players on. The former Ajax man has averaged 1.64 successful dribbles per 90 minutes, ranking him second in United’s side. Mazraoui has also completed 88.2% of his dribbles, showing how difficult he is to dispossess.
The former-Bayern man could suit one of Amorim’s wing-back roles, providing width and an attacking threat from deep. Amorim has often been known to have a right-footed player playing on the left-hand side, something which Mazraoui has become accustomed to throughout his career. Sporting talent Geovany Quenda, for example, has played many games at right wing-back this season, despite being left-footed.
Amorim will likely want to see improvements from Mazraoui if he is to be a regular feature in one of his wing-back positions. As mentioned, his lack of creativity this term might not be strictly his fault, but he will need to provide more with this position being so crucial to Amorim’s style of play. There’s no doubt he’s got all the tools to be able to play it, and we could see his game taken to the next level.
Some of United’s wingers have struggled this season due to the lack of width provided by a full-back. The likes of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho have regularly been left isolated due to Ten Hag’s full-backs coming into central areas rather than staying high and wide. With Amorim, it’s going to be a completely different ball game and something that Mazraoui is going to have to get used to.
In summary, Mazraoui can be pleased with his start to life at United, and the supporters at Old Trafford appear to be taking to him. Signing him on the cheap from Bayern, it was always going to be a fairly risk-free deal for the Red Devils, and considering the injury issues of Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw, it could be United’s most important signing from the previous summer transfer window.
Amorim may want to bring in some of his own players to fit the system he’s set to implement, but Mazraoui could be a winner from the current crop of United players. This has just been the beginning for Mazraoui at Old Trafford, and it’s time for Amorim to take him to the next level under his guidance.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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