Latest Manchester United news as an injury boost for United could have a major impact on the club's success this season
Mark has been a football journalist since 2017 and has contributed to several publications including the Liverpool Echo, Manchester Evening News and football.london. He also spent eight months on the US Sports team for the Mirror US
Noussair Mazraoui of Manchester United
Noussair Mazraoui of Manchester United(Image: Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
Ruben Amorim has already been forced to deal with several injury concerns at Manchester United this season. There have only been three Premier League fixtures and one Carabao Cup match played, and already the United head coach has had to manage the fitness of several members of his squad.
The September international break arguably came at a good time for United, fitness wise. Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount suffered injuries in the win over Burnley before the hiatus, but the two-week break will allow both players to recover without missing any extra games.
One player who did return from injury in the victory over the Clarets was Noussair Mazraoui. The full-back had suffered an injury during the pre-season stalemate with Leeds United in July and missed the first three matches of the season in all competitions before being named in the matchday squad against Burnley.
Amorim named Mazraoui on the bench before bringing the Morocco international into the game in the closing minutes. However, Mazraoui was omitted from Morocco's squad during the international break with national team head coach, Walid Regragui, explaining: "Mazraoui’s absence? Perhaps it’s for the best.
"During the periods he was out due to injury, I had the opportunity to try other players. Now El Karouani will return after a strong start to the season. There will be a lot of competitiveness at full-back."
The international manager's comments may have caused concern in some quarters amongst the United fanbase that Mazraoui is yet to get fully back up to speed following his spell on the sidelines. The defender played a key role in helping United reach the Europa League final last season and was one of the most consistent performers for Amorim and former manager Erik ten Hag - often finding himself filling in at other positions when his teammates suffered injuries as well as making an impact in his favoured right-back slot.
United will be delighted to have the full-back, who can also play on the left or in the centre of defence, back available after the international break. The 27-year-old recently spoke about what it's like working with Amorim, including the expectations from the United head coach.
"He is a great manager, a great person. I really love to work with him. I like him a lot," Mazraoui said in an interview with The National.
"His way of thinking, his way of managing, his way of talking. He's like a manager with a lot of values, which I have the same. So, yeah, that works great together."
He also opened up on his own fitness as he vowed to 'be fit and ready' for as many games as possible.
"On a personal level, my fitness and the amount of games I played, I can look back to a good season," he said. "In fitness, the Premier League is always different than the other competitions.
"No winter break, obviously. The games were following up really fast." He added: "You hope to stay fit and play as much as possible. That hadn't always been the case for me.
"The Premier League is a bigger demand than other competitions, so you must take even more of your body. I had a switch in my mindset - be fit and ready and I think that helped me play so many games."
Those words may well have given United the injury boost that could change their season due to the defender's versatility to play across the entire backline - and Amorim will no doubt be keen for Mazraoui to be back to his best as soon as possible.
Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.
And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.