Jose Mourinho reveals crucial Man United advice he received from Sofyan Amrabat before Fenerbahce clash

Jose Mourinho has revealed the crucial advice Soyfan Amrabat provided him with before Fenerbahce’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

Manchester United were held to their third Europa League draw of the campaign after wasting their 1-0 lead against Fenerbahce on Thursday night.

Christian Eriksen‘s brilliant finish from the edge of the box in the first half gave United the lead before Youssef En-Nesyri headed in an equaliser just after the interval.

The major surprise in the lead up to the game was Erik ten Hag’s decision to start Noussair Mazraoui as the attacking midfielder in United’s set-up.

With Bruno Fernandes suspended, many expected either Christian Eriksen or Amad Diallo to start in the no.10 position, but instead the defender played there.

It was a move that could have caused surprise for the hosts but Jose Mourinho explained that former United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat told him about how Mazraoui could play in the position.

Amrabat spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Old Trafford but it would have been his experience in the Moroccan national team with Mazraoui which gave Mourinho a slight edge over the surprising switch, especially since the United team was leaked hours beforehand.

“The situation with Mazraoui? Maybe for you, big surprise. But for us, maybe not,” explained the Fenerbahce boss to journalists after the game.

“Amrabat told me Mazraoui can play this position, he did a lot for Ten Hag at Ajax. He is not Bruno but he has legs to press the centre-backs.”

Speaking to TNT Sports, Mourinho added: “He can [play in midfield], and the coach knows him well. The coach coached him in Ajax and he played in that position. I understood what he was trying.

“Zirkzee is a striker that I know very well from my time in Italy and he is a striker that drops back all the time, attracting defenders, then the wingers attack the space and Mazraoui is also a runner and can attack spaces.”

United are now without a win in Europe for 366 days, with games against FC Twente, Fenerbache, FC Porto, Galatasaray, FC Copenhagen and Bayern Munich in that time.

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