If there was one unequivocal positive in Manchester United’s first three Premier League games of the season, it was the performance of new signing Noussair Mazraoui.
He has now continued in that rich vein of form for his national team as well in a battling, all-action display in Morocco’s 4-1 vs Gabon.
Noussair Mazraoui, who arrived from Bayern Munich for a fee of around £15 million, has been a revelation at Old Trafford.
He has brought remarkable composure combined with grit to the right side of defence and played all three games reliably, going some way to soothing the “injury prove” narrative.
Here’s how he continued that form in Morocco’s recent win-
Noussair Mazraoui in Morocco’s victory
Morocco are in Group B for the African Cup of Nations qualification tournament, drawn alongside Gabon, Central African Republic, and Lesotho.
The home game vs Morocco was the first of their campaign so it was crucial that they get off to a good start against Aubameyang-led side.
Mazraoui shone in a 4-1 win where he didn’t get on the scoresheet but was a huge reason why the win was so comfortable in the end.
The right-back won 100% of his tackles (4/4), completing eight defensive actions which also included two interceptions and two recoveries.
Winning 6/7 duels, he was a force to be reckoned with out of possession when the ball was there to be won.
Most importantly, he combined this defensive resilience with trademark ball skills as he finished the game with a 92% passing accuracy.
He completed 45/49 passes and five of those were in the final third, making it clear that he is a progressive passes, not just a sideways one.
With 67 touches of the ball, he played a key role in the buildup of multiple goals as his side helped themselves to a statement victory to kick off their campaign.
Mazraou is first-choice already
When Mazraoui signed, there was a feeling that he was an “opportunity” signing thrown in alongside Matthijs de Ligt.
However, just three games into his tenure, it seems like the Moroccan has made the right-back position his own.
Moreover, if he’s already doing so well in a dysfunctional team, then it is worth getting excited about how he would look in a well-oiled one.
Diogo Dalot’s emergence as a dependable left-back has helped with the transition, which has probably condemned Luke Shaw to squad player status now.
This is an ideal situation for the Manchester United squad dynamics as Shaw, the one player last season who had no quality backup, will now be forced to earn his place back.
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