At Manchester United, the defensive sector has been seen as a real probability for years. Whether in the axis or at the full-back position, the players have not convinced or are too often injured. To remedy this, the Mancunian club invested 70 million euros this summer, bonuses included, to attract Leny Yoro, from Lille. Then, the Mancunian board paid 45 million euros for Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich. And, more recently, Man Utd decided to put 15 million euros on the table of the Bavarian club to strengthen itself on the wings with Noussair Mazraoui.
Arriving as a free agent from Ajax, the 26-year-old full-back has played 55 games with the German club. A right-back by training, he has also played on the left several times since the start of his career. Also coveted by Juventus, Mazraoui quickly made it clear that he only wanted Manchester United. A godsend for Erik ten Hag. The 54-year-old coach coached the Leiderdorp native at Ajax Amsterdam from 2018 to 2022. Mazraoui was part of that famous team that reached the semi-finals of the Champions League during the 2018-2019 season, notably eliminating Real Madrid and Juventus.
Mazraoui’s arrival leads to Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s departure
The fact of reuniting with his former coach must have been one of the reasons that pushed the Moroccan to choose United. After several weeks of negotiations, the Mancunian club announced, this Monday, his signing for the next five years. Manchester United are pleased to confirm that Noussair Mazraoui has joined the club, subject to registration. The Morocco international has signed a contract until June 2028, with the option to extend for a further year. »
His arrival has already had an impact on the MU squad. Indeed, it was conditional on the departure of Aaron Wan Bissaka, as we revealed to you. The English right-back headed to West Ham United on Monday. Now, Erik ten Hag has a new element for his defense, hoping that he can quickly find his feet and help Manchester United achieve their goals in the Premier League and Europa League this season.
