Whisper it, but did Manchester United snap up a genuinely world-class operator last summer for less than they sold Anthony Elanga?
Bargain buys have been relatively few and far between at Old Trafford over the last decade.
The post-Sir Alex Ferguson era had been characterised by overspending and excess. The likes of Antony, Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez, Jadon Sancho and so many more making a mockery of their formidable price-tags.
Noussair Mazraoui, then, is a very welcome break from recent tradition. A refreshing pool in the driest of deserts.
Mazraoui arrived at Man United alongside Matthijs de Ligt in August for a combined fee of around £50 million.
And with the Morocco international accounting for around £12 million of that outlay, Manchester United got themselves a two-footed, uber-consistent, highly-technical full-back for less than they made on Elanga, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Dean Henderson and Dan James.
Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui among the ‘best in the world’
Debates over Mazraoui’s best position, meanwhile, is a testament to just how effectively the Ajax academy graduate goes about his business on either flank.
And though Erik ten Hag pushed Mazraoui to the limits of his flexibility during that ill-advised number ten experiment against Fenerbahce, the feeling is that the Red Devils signed two or three players rolled into one when bringing the man for all occasions and most positions to Old Trafford.
After missing the October fixtures due to a heart issue which required a minor procedure to correct, Mazraoui is back in the Morocco squad for this month’s African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Gabon and Lesotho.
And Atlas Lions boss Walid Regragui believes that – with Mazraoui on one flank and Paris Saint-Germain flyer Achraf Hakimi on the other – the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists can boast a full-back pairing most nations on the planet could only dream of.
“In my mind, Noussair Mazraoui is our left-back,” Regragui tells a press conference. “He played in this position at Bayern and now at Manchester United.
“At the 2022 World Cup, we had the best defence with Mazraoui at left-back. He shone at the World Cup and has proven his versatility at club level. Our results speak for themselves with him in this position.
“We have two of the best full-backs in the world, Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui.”
Erik ten Hag was right to be confident in Mazraoui
Mazraoui can earn his 30th international cap against Gabon on Friday.
That is a relatively small tally given Mazraoui’s quality and experience, though which can be explained by a series of injury issues and a very public dispute with Regragui’s predecessor Vahid Halilhodzic.
Amid all the criticism surrounding many of Ten Hag’s Man United signings, meanwhile, Mazraoui’s outstanding start to life in England is proof that the Dutchman did have an eye for value.
Ten Hag highlighted Mazraoui’s press-resistant talents as a key attribute to watch out for during his arrival. And the way in which the velvet-footed 25-year-old dances through the tightest of gaps on the touchline has become a source of much joy to a Man United fanbase who have been starved of such qualities in possession in recent seasons.
“I knew, how good a player he is,” Ten Hag said at the start of the campaign. “And I think he improved even a lot from his period in Germany.
“He’s even a better player than I had in Ajax. His development as a player and as a person is tremendous and impressive, so I hope that he keeps this process going.”
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