When you think about the players key to making Manchester United’s attack thrive, Noussair Mazraoui isn’t the first name that comes to your mind.
Signed for £12.5m from Bayern Munich in August 2024, the Moroccan international has established himself as a firm favourite amongst teammates, staff, and fans with his performances and character.
His consistency, quality, and ability to play multiple positions to a high level has made him a key figure for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, who named him as part of the six-man leadership squad going into the season.
Mazraoui was ever-present for United last season, but missed the start of the season due to a minor injury. Against Burnley, he came off the bench towards the end and immediately reminded fans of his quality with an “insane” cameo.
Specifically, he knitted together a right-hand side including Amad and Bryan Mbeumo that has so far faced some teething problems, which begs the question: could Noussair Mazraoui be the key to unlocking United’s attacking power.
Mazraoui’s positional intelligence and technical quality shine
Mazraoui only came on in the 85th minute, replacing Leny Yoro, but in his short time on the pitch he made a real impact for United going forward.
With United pushing to break Burnley down and score a winner, Mazraoui’s technical quality and intelligent positioning and movement helped to free up Amad and Mbeumo to create chaos against Burnley’s block.
Every time he got the ball, Mazraoui was positive with it and he would make clever support runs when the ball reached the final third to create space and link up with his fellow attackers, something that is a strength of his, even if he is not as much of a creator specifically.
There was one moment in particular where he received the ball in the right half-space with Bryan Mbeumo out on the wing. With a Burnley defender seeing that he would make the pass, he went to make the interception, so Mazraoui delayed it – letting his opponent go to ground – then chipped it over him to find Mbeumo, whose cross found the head of Benjamin Šeško, but the Slovenian was unable to convert.
Ruben Amorim’s side were off it for a lot of the second half on Saturday afternoon, but Mazraoui’s return brought a boost towards the end of the game as they got over the line with a very late Bruno Fernandes penalty.
Can Mazraoui be United’s solution on the right?
Whilst Amad and Mbeumo are fantastic players, there have been some teething issues so far in this system due to the similarities they bear as players on the right hand side.
The two forwards are both left footed wingers who operate from the right and like to come inside, they have similar instincts and there have been instances so far where they have gotten in each other’s way whilst playing.
Whilst it is early on in the season, and with time you would expect the two to learn to operate more smoothly, there have still been concerns raised in parts of the United fanbase about their suitability together in this system.
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But with Mazraoui on the pitch, the team looked to be in better flow. His ability to bring the ball forwards from the back, link play, and his intelligent movement seemed to smooth out the friction between the two superstar forwards. By moving into the right areas and making the right decisions, Mazraoui opened up a struggling United attack.
Mazraoui’s return is more than welcome for United, he is a brilliant footballer and the team have been struggling so he will raise the level. But if he can solve this specific problem that has emerged early for United, then the impact he can have on this team becomes much greater.
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