Ruben Amorim singles out Erik ten Hag buy as Manchester United's future

Ruben Amorim has singled out Noussair Mazraoui as Manchester United’s “future”, claiming that the squad needs more players like him.

Mazraoui arrived with perhaps the least fanfare out of United’s five big signings in the summer, joining from Bayern Munich for around £12.8million (rising to £17.1m in add-ons). He was handpicked - along with his team-mate Matthijs de Ligt - by Erik ten Hag, having played under the now-sacked manager at Ajax.

After a steady start, the 27-year-old Moroccan has now impressed new head coach Amorim with his consistency and versatility. Mazraoui has started in all three of the Portuguese’s games in charge, performing brilliantly in both full-back positions and as part of the back-three.

Now, having been named as a contender for United’s November Player of the Month award, Mazraoui could feature against Arsenal on Wednesday. And Amorim heaped praise on the defender, who he has singled out as part of his long-term plans.

Speaking at Monday’s press conference ahead of the visit to Arsenal, Amorim said: “He’s a top player. He knows how to attack, he’s very technical, he’s very good defensively and he’s very good one-on-one. He’s a modern player. I think he’s the future of our team.

“When you think about him, you think we need more players like Nous that can control the tempo, they are really, really good and comfortable with the ball. So, Nous, I’m really happy with him.”

Image: Manchester United via Getty Imag) Manchester United via Getty Imag)

However, Amorim admitted that the Morocco international doesn’t necessarily stand out in training. The Portuguese stated that Mazraoui merely steps up when it matters most, explaining: “In training I don’t see him a lot but in games he’s a top player, because he understands the game.”

He has appeared in 20 matches so far this season, providing assists against Brighton and in the recent Europa League win over Bodo/Glimt. Mazraoui was a key player under ex-Red Devils boss Ten Hag, making 137 appearances for Ajax while winning three Eredivisie titles.

After that, Mazraoui played 55 times for Bayern during his two seasons in the Bundesliga, but was not favoured by newly-appointed England manager Thomas Tuchel, citing a lack of game time as the reason for his departure. Still, he picked up a Bundesliga title in 2022/23 and played an important role as the German giants reached the Champions League semi-finals last season.

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