Ruben Amorim has made some tough calls at Manchester United already in his short time at the club but the biggest payoffs came in the win vs Manchester City.
Be it dropping Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, with Amad impressing in their absence, or Harry Maguire’s colossal display in defence, it was a perfect night.
Amorim now stands alongside Sir Alex Ferguson as the only manager to win his first Manchester Derby in the post-Sir Alex era.
A huge part of it is down to a player flying under the radar amidst all the plaudits but without whom this win wouldn’t have been possible.
Noussair Mazraoui’s trial by fire vs Man City
It is becoming a standard practice after every game to wax lyrical about Noussair Mazraoui regardless of the result, so impressive has the Moroccan been.
Against Man City, Amorim presented him with the toughest test yet of his short United career as he lined up as the right wing-back with Diogo Dalot on the other side.
Mazraoui was right up against a dribbling livewire in Jeremy Doku who was tasked with scrambling and collapsing the United defence by running at them.
Mazraoui, right wing-back not his natural position, dealt with the tricky winger superbly, with the number of times he got beaten off the dribble counted on one hand.
He didn’t even have the attacking freedom that Dalot did on the other wing as he was effectively tasked with the stopper job on Doku.
For a player who is so intelligent and calm on the ball, it was an entirely new test in a position he hasn’t played but he finished the game with 77 touches, a remarkable 12 defensive actions, winning nine out of 14 duels.
Funnily enough, Mazraoui came off a minute after Doku’s withdrawal, an admission of defeat by the City man and the Moroccan walking off the pitch with his job for the day done and dusted.
Mazraoui has proven himself thrice now
For any new player joining a club, playing under three managers within five months of joining and doing so in at least four positions would be a good enough excuse for performing poorly.
Instead, what Mazraoui has done is pass each test with flying colours. Regardless of the manager, role, position, or the opposition, he has consistently been among United’s best players on the pitch.
In a team that looks like it needs hand-holding at times when it comes to understanding new patterns and basic football intelligence, Mazraoui stands head and shoulders above everyone.
With the performance against City, he managed to do the only thing he hadn’t done yet in United colours, a stopper job on a specific player.
Now, he can add that skill to a list that already contains- being a buildup presence, a shifty dribbler, a progressive passer, and supreme footballing intelligence to tie it all together.
At around €15 million, he is already past the “best bargain” debate. He’s arguably among the best players at the club now. The City game was yet another proof of the same if anyone needed any.
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