Moving on to some of your football influences – which players influenced you the most in the early parts of your career?
“I think Hakim Ziyech, when I arrived to the first team in Ajax, and Zakaria Labyad. Those two, of course, are from Morocco. So, they helped me a lot when I was younger and came through the first team.”
And from an outside perspective, or since you’ve been here in the Premier League, are there any players from United or other teams that have stood out to you at all?
“Stood out? Of course, Bruno Fernandes is really unbelievably good. His stats say a lot about him. And that’s of course one player which I’ve seen. I know other players from the Premier League already from watching on TV, but this guy I’m seeing now up close... I see what kind of special player he is.”
Are there any players in the Premier League or Champions League that you played against while you’ve been with United or previously that have surprised you by how good they are?
“I think all the wingers, because most of the time I’m playing full-back, all the wingers in the Premier League are really, really good from top to bottom. Fast, strong, technical, so you cannot underestimate any of them. So, if I’m going to give my props to anybody, I think it’s all of them because you cannot have a bad day with those guys. And if you have a bad day, you will see it straight away.”
Which players that you’ve played alongside have had the biggest impact on your career?
“I think also Hakim Ziyech because I’ve played for three, four years with him, so that’s a really long time. And I think my time in Germany was maybe too short, but if I have to say somebody there, I think it’s Thomas Muller. He’s a legendary guy, of course, a legendary player. So yeah, these two.”