Ten Hag leaves Man Utd 'speechless' after BIZARRE Mazraoui decision

Suraj Radia

• 24 Oct 2024 19:45 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester United have been used to players playing out of position under Erik ten Hag but the Dutchman’s decision to field Noussair Mazraoui as a number ten for the Europa League game against Fenerbahce raised a number of eyebrows.

Ten Hag has been desperate to turn United’s season around, which sees the Red Devils sit 12th in the Premier League and also out of the qualification spots in the Europa League after failing to win their opening two games in the competition.

The third game of the campaign sees Ten Hag’s side travel to Turkey to take on Fenerbahce, managed by former United boss Jose Mourinho in a match both coaches will undoubtedly be desperate to prove a point in.

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United bounced back from their poor form with a win over Brentford last weekend but, despite Rasmus Hojlund starting and scoring against the Bees, the Dane finds himself on the bench alongside the likes of Amad Diallo, Antony and Casemiro.

Instead, Mazraoui has been given the nod to play at the unfamiliar number ten role, with Ten Hag insisting the defender is ‘capable’ of playing in the position.

"We have some injuries and a suspension, so we had to be creative,” Ten Hag said. “We bring Mazraoui in the No.10 position. I sometimes played him there for Ajax and he's capable of doing this job."

’Slap in the face’: Man Utd fans react to Mazraoui shock

The decision generated shock and disbelief from United fans on social media, who claimed the selection was a ‘slap in the face’ to players like Diallo.

The decision was also met with surprise from former United stars Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves, who could not hide their bemusement on TNT Sports.

There was perhaps some optimism from some fans who hoped the move would be similar to Antonio Conte’s tactical shift during his time at Chelsea, which saw his side achieve a massive turnaround in their fortunes.