Manchester United undroppable might need new role when £52m gem is finally unleashed

Noussair Mazraoui might only have been a Manchester United player for 18 games, but he has already played four different positions for his new club, having been handed a new role for Ruben Amorim's first game in charge.

The Morrocan's versatility in covering both full-back positions was attractive when United paid Bayern Munich £12.8m, with a further £4.2m in add-ons, to sign him this summer. With United still yet to field a natural left-back this season, Mazraoui has had to fill in on both flanks, with 12 of his appearances at right-back and three on the left.

There was widespread surprise when Erik ten Hag fielded him as an attacking midfielder at Fenerbahce in the Europa League, an experiment unlikely to be repeated under Amorim, even if he does like to operate with two players in that area of the pitch. That didn't stop the Portuguese from giving him a new position though, starting him as the right-sided central defender in his 3-4-3 system at Ipswich.

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There had been a lot of speculation about Mazraoui's potential role under Amorim and whether he had the attributes to play at wing-back. In the end, Diogo Dalot and Amad started. But with Leny Yoro, Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire all absent, there was a role for Mazraoui.

The 27-year-old impressed again and further solidified his reputation as a fan favourite. It was only his fifth career start at centre-back, but he defended superbly and was comfortable on the ball. He played a role in the build-up to the first goal by taking possession from Andre Onana and then finding a pass up the