Man Utd star scores stunning international goal; Carrick will be encouraged to field him in problem position
Manchester United full-back Noussair Mazraoui stole the limelight with a brilliant solo goal for Morocco over Gabon.
The 28-year-old often plays second fiddle to Diogo Dalot in Michael Carrick’s plans, but he remains an absolute stalwart for his national team.
On Friday, he was one of the main protagonists as the Atlas Lions began their African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a confident 2-0 victory at home.
Noussair Mazraoui shines at left-back
While he’s originally a right-back, Mazraoui often plays on the left for Morocco, chiefly to accommodate Paris Saint-Germain star Achraf Hakimi, who is widely considered the best in the world in his role.
Interestingly, even with Hakimi unavailable, Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi still opted to field the Man Utd star at left-back, with Anderlecht youngster Ali Maamar drafted in at right-back.
The manager was proven right in his decision, with Mazraoui producing a stellar performance highlighted by a wonderful opener in the 36th minute.
The former Ajax and Bayern Munich star stormed past an opponent before finding a shooting angle from the edge of the box. While his shot wasn’t the most powerful or precise, it still evaded the Gabon goalkeeper.
Perhaps the custodian should have done better, but Mazraoui deserves all the plaudits for pulling off a solo goal almost out of nothing.
Mazraoui the most reliable Luke Shaw backup at Man Utd
After failing to sign a new player for the department, INEOS left Carrick short of options at left-back. So when Luke Shaw was unavailable earlier this month, the manager resorted to Patrick Dorgu, who hasn’t been convincing at the back.
But as we previously argued, Mazraoui should be deemed United’s most reliable option to support Shaw at left-back, and he once again proved he can be productive at both ends of the pitch when playing on the left side.
| Minutes | 84 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Accurate passes | 65/68 (96%) |
| Shot accuracy | 1/1 |
| Successful dribbles | 1/1 |
| Passes into the final third | 12 |
| Ground duels won | 4/6 (67%) |
| Defensive contributions | 5 |
| FotMob rating | 8.6/10 (Man of the Match) |
(Mazraoui’s stats in Morocco vs Gabon)
The Moroccan might not be the ideal solution for Carrick, who surely wasn’t impressed with his display in the Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton. But with his experience, versatility, and defensive prowess, he is surely a notch above Dorgu, while Harry Amass is apparently out of the conversation, with Carrick yet to give him any playing time.
Naturally, switching Mazraoui to the left would leave Dalot without a backup at right-back, but the manager had tested Leny Yoro in that role during pre-season, so it could be an option to revisit at some point during the campaign.
