Erik ten Hag has confirmed Noussair Mazraoui will start in attacking midfield for Manchester United against Fenerbahce. Facing them is Jose Mourinho, a familiar face who was appointed Fenerbahce boss in the summer. A victory for Manchester United won’t be easy, as a hostile atmosphere is guaranteed in Istanbul. With Bruno Fernandes suspended for the game, Mazraoui, primarily a full-back, will start in attacking midfield alongside Christian Eriksen and Manuel Ugarte, while Joshua Zirkzee replaces Rasmus Hojlund in the starting line-up, with the latter named on the bench.
Mazraoui has played 44 games in central midfield in his career, scoring seven goals. Erik ten Hag explained the decision to start him in midfield in his conversation with TNT Sports ahead of kick-off.
Erik ten Hag said, “We have some injuries and a suspension with Bruno, so we had to be creative. Also, we had some players who have a short turnaround to West Ham, so we’ve made some changes there and a different set-up, but not so much different because we want to keep consistency. Eriksen there, Mainoo as the No.6 and we bring Mazraoui into the No.10 position. I know him from before, sometimes played him there for Ajax, also playing him as a full-back, and also in our system he’s playing in the half spaces, so he’s capable of doing this job. He can do good pressing. We can see during the game what is needed, so we maybe go with him in another position and maybe if needed, he can play a more offensive position and it’s also possible to bring Casemiro in. Rasmus Hojlund is returning from a big injury and we have to build up his fitness. We want to avoid him getting injured again, so we spare him today, and Sunday [West Ham] is another big game. The atmosphere will be very loud, for sure, it will be hostile, for sure, but we know the style of the manager, playing counter-attacks and he can do that very good. We have to be prepared for it, read the game and play it smartly.”
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