Who is Noussair Mazraoui?

Erik Ten Hag has a track record of turning to a familiar face to solve a Man United crisis.

The Dutch manager took diminutive centre-back Lisandro Martinez and mercurial winger Antony with him when he joined the Red Devils from Ajax in 2022.

He then called on Cameroonian Andre Onana to solve his goalkeeping problems and fill the void left by David De Gea – who had made more appearances between the posts for United than any other player.

Now it appears that it will be Noussair Mazraoui’s turn to reunite with his former boss as Ten Hag once again looks to the tried-and-tested to sort out his problems – this time at right-back. 

Mail Sport have reported that the club are closing in on a £15m deal with Bayern Munich for the 26-year-oldm but that it all hinged on Aaron Wan-Bissaka agreeing to join West Ham United.

The two sides are understood to be close to agreeing terms for Mazraoui with the full-back keen on a move to Old Trafford. 

The Moroccan will be hoping to overcome something of a curse among the former Ajax men who have made their way to the north-west, with none of his three predecessors exactly setting the Premier League alight.

Antony has struggled with his decision-making on the right flank while Martinez – though impressing in his first season –  has spent long stretches of time on the sidelines recovering from injuries.

Meanwhile, Onana only hit his stride in a United shirt as the 23/24 season drew to a close after a series of blunders earlier in the campaign.

Can Mazraoui succeed where his former Ajax colleagues have so far fallen short? 

It’s not a stretch to say that the Moroccan star would not be a right-back were it not for Ten Hag.

Having grown up in Leiderdorp, Netherlands, Mazraoui played most of his earlier games for Ajax as a midfielder after joining the youth setup as a seven-year-old prodigy.

The Moroccan had been rejected three times for the club’s academy for being too ‘lightweight’ before finally being taken on by the four-time European Cup winners.

‘The first time they told me I was too lightweight,’ he said. ‘It hurt. I was a little boy, and cried. 

‘After my fourth try-out, I got an acceptance letter.’

Towards the end of his debut season with the first team in 2018, he benefited from an inspired move by Ten Hag who saw potential in the six-foot tall youngster, then 20, as a full-back.

The Moroccan told TZ: ‘At first I was an attacking midfielder but after a while I became a number 6 and then a right-back. 

‘But there was also a season in which I played in almost every position, just not in goal. That really helped me a lot.’

The switch up kickstarted Mazraoui’s career and in the 2018/19 campaign he was named as the club’s Talent of the Year as the side surged to a league and cup double, having scored four goals and assisted four more in 48 appearances.

That season, Ajax made a memorable run to the Champions League semi-finals before losing to Tottenham Hotspur in the last minute.

After a tough following campaign which was riddled with injuries, Mazraoui bounced back in 2020/21 with 34 competitive appearances as the side won another double.

He nabbed five goals and four assists as he secured a third Eredivisie winner’s medal.

His attacking displays down the Dutch side’s right flank earned Mazraoui a move to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in 2022.

The full-back was linked with Arsenal but later told TZ ‘it wasn’t a difficult decision’ to turn the North London side down. This summer he appeared to be closing in on a move to West Ham, though a move fell through. 

Since then, the Moroccan has turned out 55 times for the German outfit, claiming seven assists, winning the Bundesliga and the Supercup in 2023.

He has also had success on the international stage, making 28 appearances for his country and playing a central role in their incredible run to the World Cup semi-finals in 2022.

Ten Hag will be hoping Mazraoui can turn in the kind of attacking full-back displays that Bayern fans became accustomed to.

Known for marauding down the wing and setting up teammates, the 26-year-old also makes sure he performs his defensive duties, often firing up the crowd with sliding tackles.

He can play on both flanks and can even roll back the years by stepping into the centre of midfield. 

Off the pitch, Mazraoui kept himself occupied by fishing, walking around Munich’s English Garden and spending time with his family including his wife who he married at the age of 23.

Bayern will miss the talented full-back if he makes the switch to the English side and, according to Bundesliga.com, former German captain and Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn said when he signed: ‘Noussair Mazraoui is the next building block to further strengthen our team in a targeted manner. 

‘We’ve set ourselves big goals again for the new season and players like Noussair expand our options. 

‘We’re also looking forward to taking on the Champions League again with him and we want to celebrate a lot of successes together in the coming years.’

It seems that the former German goalkeeper’s plans for the Moroccan might not be realised with the star set for United.

Mazraoui’s spell at Bayern has not all been plain sailing, however, and the right-back courted controversy in October for sharing pro-Palestine posts in the wake of the October 7 attacks.

The side decided not to sanction the Moroccan, however, and released a statement stating that they had ‘a detailed and clarifying conversation with Noussair Mazroui’.

After speaking with the player, the German club said that Mazraoui ‘rejects terror and war’.

‘I condemn all terrorism and terrorist organisations,’ said the Moroccan international.

The club said the player ‘never meant to cause any irritation’ from the post he shared on his social media. They went on to state that ‘football should unleash its power of reconciliation between different cultures, especially in the most difficult moments’.

He later went to visit representatives from the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria.

Mazraoui has previously said his faith as a Muslim is ‘number one’ in his life and that he prays ‘five times a day’.

He added: ‘Sometimes I even perform better during Ramadan, because it’s a holy month. My faith gives me strength and also drives me on the pitch.’ 

Mazraoui also lost his cool over a lack of minutes at the German side and told Bild: ‘I feel forgotten. The situation is disappointing. 

‘I’m no longer the 2nd option in my position – but 3rd or 4th. If the situation stays like this, that’s not what I want. And not what I deserve. I’ll fight — then we will see.’

The Moroccan was able to overcome this frustration and continue a rise which has piqued the interest of top sides across Europe.

But it looks like United will win the race for the talent as their summer rebuild picks up pace.

Ten Hag will be holding out hope that the full-back can help kickstart Antony‘s United career on the team’s right-hand side, after aiding the Brazilian winger on the flank during two title winning-campaigns in the Netherlands. 

Ten Hag’s side have already spent £88m this summer on the additions of Zirkzee and Yoro, with the likes of Manuel Ugarte and Matthijs de Ligt also linked with moves to Old Trafford.

But it’s the Moroccan full-back who is top of Ten Hag’s wish list and appears set to turn up at Old Trafford in the coming days.