After completing the signing of Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich in August, Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth was quick to commend the Moroccan’s versatility.
“Noussair is a dynamic, attacking full-back who can play on both the right and left side of defence,” Ashworth said. “His experience and versatility will make him an excellent addition to our squad.”
A little over three months after putting pen to paper on a four-year contract at Old Trafford, few could have possibly envisioned just how versatile he actually is. After playing as a right-back, a left-back and as an attacking-midfielder under former United manager Erik ten Hag, his successor, Ruben Amorim, deployed him as a right-sided centre-back for his first game in charge against Ipswich Town on Sunday afternoon.
READ MORE: United CEO Omar Berrada offers Old Trafford regeneration update
READ MORE: Ruben Amorim might have already found his most important player for his United plan
Setting up with the 3-4-3 formation that had been religiously analysed ever since succeeding Ten Hag on November 1, the former Sporting Lisbon boss tasked Mazraoui with operating on the right side of the back-three. He was joined in the defence by Matthijs de Ligt and Jonny Evans.
Of that rearguard, only De Ligt will be considered as a staple in United’s first-choice backline once everyone is fit and available. The general expectation is that once Amorim has overseen a reduction in the size of the current injury list, De Ligt will be joined in defence by fellow summer signing Leny Yoro and Lisandro Martinez.
Yoro was not included in the matchday squad at Portman Road, with United continuing to monitor his recovery from a fractured metatarsal carefully, and Martinez missed out due to a back injury. With Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof also missing, Amorim had no choice but to make do with what he had available.
However, as reported by the Manchester Evening News last week, Yoro is understood to be on the cusp of making his competitive debut for United. It is possible he could be awarded it this week, either against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night or when Everton visit Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Yoro was United’s statement signing of the summer, being signed from Lille in a deal initially worth £52.2million. He was on Real Madrid’s radar but yet United convinced him to move to Old Trafford.
The feeling is he will soon occupy the right-sided centre-back berth Mazraoui held against Ipswich. Once Martinez is back, he should join Yoro and De Ligt in making up United’s first-choice back-three.
However, Martinez’s return is understood not to be imminent, opening up a window of opportunity for someone else to stake a claim for the left-sided centre-back berth. That someone could be Luke Shaw.
A whopping 280 days after he made his last United appearance, the England international made his long-awaited comeback against Ipswich, appearing as a second half substitute. He slotted into the left-sided centre-back role after replacing Evans.
Shaw has experience of playing centrally for United, being tasked with playing as a left-sided centre-back several times by Ten Hag during the 2022/23 season. He admitted after a 1-0 win over Wolves on New Year’s Eve in 2022 that he was “really enjoying” the responsibility.
After so long out, United’s primary mission has to be managing Shaw’s load carefully and keeping him out of the treatment room. They cannot afford to push him too quickly.
But if he is deemed fit enough to start for United at any point within the next week or so, he is a credible option to start in the left-sided centre-back berth. He has the ball-playing ability to play in a central area and he is defensively sound.
Of course, Martinez should be reinstated as United’s chief left-sided centre-back once he recovers from his current injury, but Shaw is a solid option to compete with him and provide rotation.
The prospect of Yoro debuting in the coming days and Shaw being deemed fit enough to start will provide United with two very welcomed boosts. Yoro’s addition to the squad in July was greeted with a wave of appreciation and Shaw, regardless of his injury concerns, is a fantastic player when he is fit.
The prospect of those two operating either side of De Ligt in a back-three would offer United something completely different to what was on show at Ipswich, and Amorim would be well within his rights to test the water with that approach.
