Ruud van Nistelrooy is helping Man Utd defender Noussair Mazraoui in three specific ways

Noussair Mazraoui has explained how Manchester United assistant coaches Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake have helped him so far.

Noussair Mazraoui has been a standout performer since joining Manchester United from Bayern Munich in August 2024 for a reported fee of £12 million.

Brought in by Erik ten Hag to replace the outgoing Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Mazraoui was quickly thrust into the starting lineup after Luke Shaw’s injury in the summer.

The right-back has featured in every Premier League match so far this term and his performances have proven that his signing was an astute piece of business for United.

Speaking in his first press conference, ahead of the Europa League clash against FC Twente, Mazraoui explained how the assistant coaches at United are helping his game.

Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake both joined the club in the summer to support Ten Hag in his new coaching unit.

“I knew [Van Nistelrooy and Hake] from name, but I’d never worked with them before,” Mazraoui explained.

The Dutch pairing are helping with the positioning and defensive line as well as aiding the defender settling into his new environment.

“We speak a lot. They help the team a lot,” Mazraoui told the press. “They are also a big factor of [me] settling in easily because they speak also Dutch and know the culture and how I am as a player.

“That helps settling in better. We speak a lot about the game, positioning, defensive line and that helps.”

The Reds are set to face FC Twente on Wednesday evening in their first Europa League clash of the season.

With a new format for the competition, with eight games in the new league phase, the full details of those changes can be read here.

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