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New Manchester United signing Noussair Mazraoui has given details of a time in his career that spurred his determination to make it at the highest level.
United officially unveiled Mazraoui last month after reaching an agreement with Bayern Munich over his transfer to Old Trafford.
He started all three of United’s Premier League clashes before the ongoing international break and despite the team’s struggles, showed his quality.
Mazraoui has impressed with his ability on the ball and calm and composure even when under pressure.
In an interview with club media, The Moroccan admitted that there was a time during the early stages of his career in which it was touch and go whether he would be able to make it professionally.
He further opened up about a remarkable shift in mindset that eventually drove him to rise through the ranks at Ajax and cement his status as one of Europe’s best full-backs.
Mazraoui said, “When I became older and more mature, it was still, yeah, almost 50-50 [whether I would make it].”
“I went and played professional football without a contract. And, what you said, it was do or die because, at that moment, you come to the point of no return.”
“It’s either you go for it fully or that’s it. You will just make steps upwards or, from there on, it could be the end of your career, but you cannot even say your career as it was not even at the beginning. So that was a little bit the case when I became 18 or 19 years old and, from there on, something in my head just switched.”
The 26-year-old added, “It was just that I went fully for it. And, yeah, from that moment on, I didn’t look back anymore about how I went through the stages and through the Academy, or even this moment.”
“I didn’t look back anymore. I just looked forward. I had a goal and that was to fight for a contract and to be a professional footballer because I was just so close, I could smell it.”
The United No. 3 explained that if he failed to make it, he would have been forced to live with that regret for the rest of his life – a state of affairs he was not prepared to see happen.
Mazraoui and his United teammates return to action this weekend when they travel to St Mary’s to face Southampton.
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