Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was impressed by what he saw from his new-old Moroccan defender Noussair Mazraoui, who is “used to playing for big clubs”, after the hard-fought 1-0 win over Fulham on Friday in the first round of the English Premier League.
United waited until the 87th minute to secure the three points with a goal scored by Dutch substitute Joshua Zirkzee, who joined this summer from Bologna in Italy.
Ten Hag started the match by bringing on Mazraoui on the right side of the defense, before replacing him in the 81st minute with the new Moroccan from Bayern Munich, Dutch center back Matthijs de Ligt.
“He is a great defender, but as I said before the game he is very calm on the ball and also attacks,” Ten Hag said of the 26-year-old, who also played under him at Ajax Amsterdam.
Mazraoui won the Dutch League title three times under Ten Hag's leadership in 2019, 2021 and 2022 before leaving for Bayern Munich, where he also won the German League title in 2023.
This player, who reached the semi-finals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup with his country, signed a 4-year contract with the Red Devils, with the option to extend for another year.
🚨🚨🎙️| Erik ten Hag on Noussair Mazraoui:
“I know him like this… he's a great defender but also very composed on the ball. When he is 100% fitness, he can do much more.” pic.twitter.com/K3OG33UkG6
— centerdevils. (@centredevils) August 16, 2024
Ten Hag said on Friday that Mazraoui “is not at full fitness at the moment. When he reaches full fitness he can do a lot, but I am very happy with his performance. He has been at the same level for 70-75 minutes, now he has to build his fitness.”
In an interview published on United's official website on the opening day of this season, Mazraoui spoke about playing under pressure, saying: “I think that, at this stage of my career, I have become accustomed to it and I do not expect anything different,” adding: “The clubs I have played for so far have made me accustomed to this type of pressure and expecting to win titles.”
“I play well under pressure”
Mazraoui joined a team that finished eighth in the league last season, its worst ranking since the 1989-1990 season when it finished 13th, but it won the Cup competition, which qualified it to participate in the continental Europa League competition.
United have not won the Premier League title since their last season under legendary Scottish manager Alex Ferguson in 2013, so the Dutch-born Moroccan defender is aware of the pressure of dreaming of regaining the title that neighbours Manchester City have monopolised for the past four seasons and won six times in the past seven seasons.
Based on that, the Moroccan star said, “If the club is waiting for that and the fans expect the club to reach the podiums, of course the players will be required to do so, and this requires us to give our best, for sure.”
About himself, he said, “I think I am the type of player who adapts quickly, and I am good at playing under pressure. When the opponent presses hard, I can find a way out of the pressure. In the attacking aspect, I like to cooperate with the winger a lot.”
As for his personality, Mazraoui said, “I am calm and somewhat silent when I first meet new people, but when I settle in and integrate with my teammates, I seek to form friendships and good relationships with everyone. I also like to have communication off the pitch, as this will be beneficial for us and for our understanding on the pitch. I do not like to talk about myself a lot, but I think this is enough to sum up my personality.”