Who is Noussair Mazraoui? Meet the new Man Utd right-back who is vital to the club’s plans

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Noussair Mazraoui has become a Manchester United player in the summer of 2024 but who exactly is he? Here is everything you need to know about the club’s latest transfer signing.

Manchester United made Noussair Mazraoui their fourth signing of the summer when they completed a double transfer which also included his Bayern Munich teammate Matthijs de Ligt.

The defensive duo follow the arrivals of Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro, who were signed earlier in the window.

Erik ten Hag was keen to rejuvenate his defence with players more suited to his ideal style and turned to a familiar face in Mazraoui.

Here is everything you need to know about him.

• READ MORE: Who is Matthijs de Ligt? Get to know the Man Utd star

Who is Noussair Mazraoui?

Noussair Mazraoui is a professional footballer who currently plays for Manchester United and the Morrocan national side.

Born in the Netherlands, Mazraoui joined his first club when he was just four years old, signing for local side AVV Alphen. After three years he moved to Alphense Boys.

It wasn’t long before his promising talent was spotted by Ajax and the Dutch powerhouses swooped in to recruit him to their youth ranks in 2006.

Mazaroui developed his game for a decade in Amsterdam before making his debut for Jong Ajax, the club’s second team. He impressed in the U21 side, who play in the Dutch second division, scoring 12 goals and creating nine more in 55 games.

Interestingly, Mazaroui played the majority of those games as a central midfielder, where he honed his composed control and tight passing.

As is typical for players raised on Ajax’s ‘total football’ philosophy, Mazaroui played a wide range of positions also including right-back, centre-back, defensive-midfield and on both wings.

He made his senior Ajax bow in February 2018, becoming the first academy player Erik ten Hag gave a debut to after taking charge of the team.

Though he would still on occasion be used in midfield, it was under Ten Hag that Mazaroui specialised as a right-back and made the position his own.

Mazaroui would shine the following season as Ten Hag’s thrilling, young side – containing the likes of De Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Andre Onana – came within a whisker of making it to the Champions League final.

Injury issues would then dog his next few seasons at Ajax before his contract expired and he moved on a free transfer to Bayern Munich in 2022.

Mazaroui has since struggled to live up to his potential in Germany. Though complications from COVID-19 hampered his early progress, more typical fitness problems have continued to be a concern.

The best period of Mazaroui’s career so far came under Ten Hag’s guidance and the manager will be hoping he can get him back to the level he was at in the Netherlands.

How old is Noussair Mazraoui?

Noussair Mazraoui was born on November 14, 1997, in Leiderdorp, Netherlands, but is of Moroccan descent and plays for the African nation.

As of August 2024, he is 26 years old.

Noussair Mazraoui height

Mazraoui stands at 6 feet (183cm) tall, with his height making him useful defensively while still being able to retain pace to bomb up and down the right flank.

What position does Noussair Mazraoui play?

Though Mazraoui was brought up in Ajax’s academy playing in nearly every position on the pitch, notably centre-midfield, he is now firmly a right-back.

How much did Man United pay for Mazraoui?

United completed the double signing of De Ligt and Mazraoui on August 13, 2024.

It’s understood United have paid an initial £12.8m for Mazraoui, while that could rise by a further £4.2m in bonuses.

Noussair Mazraoui on Erik ten Hag

As well as Ten Hag being a fan of Mazraoui, the player himself appears to love working with the manager, which bodes well for their reunion at Old Trafford.

Speaking to Votebalprimeur in 2022, Mazraoui said: “It was great to work with Erik ten Hag.

“He helped me in the beginning mainly on a tactical level, but then also with all kinds of other things, such as my lifestyle and my attacking development.

“A top coach, who has been very important to me and with whom we have achieved great successes.”

How good is Noussair Mazraoui?

Mazraoui was considered among one of the most exciting prospects in world football – for any position not just right-back – as he broke into the Ajax first team and started delivering excellent performances.

The 26-year-old was a crucial member of the thrilling side that nearly made the Champions League final and defeated Juventus, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in their incredible run.

Ajax’s 4-1 destruction of Real Madrid remains one of the Champions League’s most shocking upsets and, at the time, Ten Hag explained the crucial role Mazraoui played in the win.

He told AjaxLife: “We considered a substitution because we didn’t let Veltman get warmed up for nothing.

“But I still had full confidence in Noussair, and fortunately we kept him. He played a decisive role in the 3-0, he started the attack.”

Upon signing for Bayern he earned praise from key figures at the club. Ex-Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said, via Bundesliga.com: “Noussair is a player who presses forward a lot down the right side.

“We also really like his mentality – he’s fired up for this challenge at FC Bayern.”

Bayern legend and former CEO Oliver Kahn added: “Noussair Mazraoui is the next building block to further strengthen our team in a targeted manner.

“We’ve set ourselves big goals again for the new season and players like Noussair expand our options.

“We’re also looking forward to taking on the Champions League again with him and we want to celebrate a lot of successes together in the coming years.”

That success didn’t really arrive for Mazraoui in Germany and it remains to be seen if he can get back to his best.

Noussair Mazraoui stats