Erik ten Hag was sacked in October was sacked as Manchester United manager in October 2024 and was recently dismissed by Bundesliga side Bayern Leverkusen after three games.
Ten Hag failed to live up to the hype that saw United bring him in from Ajax and defender Noussair Mazraoui admits he he “feels responsible”.
Mazraoui had only joined United two months before Ten Hag was sacked in October 2024. The versatile fullback was snapped up for a modest €15 million (£13 million, $17.6 million) from Bayern Munich on the recommendation of the Dutch coach, who had grown to admire the Morocco international during their shared time at Ajax.
It was Ten Hag who handed a 20-year-old Mazraoui his senior debut back in 2018. That would be the first of 137 appearances he made for the Amsterdam outfit before leaving in the same 2022 summer as Ten Hag.
However, after two injury-riddled seasons at Bayern, Mazraoui was reunited with his favourite coach at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag (left) worked alongside Noussair Mazraoui at two clubs. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
During a candid interview with The National, Mazraoui admitted that it was “difficult” for him after Ten Hag left. “He was also a reason I came to the club,” the 27-year-old sighed. “You come to a club because for the club itself, but also for the manager.”
“I worked some good years with him at Ajax, so that’s also one of the reasons I came here. And then if he’s gone after two or three months, that’s never nice, because you feel also responsible for that. Because if the players perform, the manager stays, it’s that simple.”
Mazraoui only made 13 appearances for United under Ten Hag, racking up just four wins—one of which was in the Carabao Cup against third-tier Barnsley. Ironically enough, the final blow for Ten Hag came in a fixture they should not have lost.
The Algerian International is now enjoying a new adventure under the guidance of Portuguese manager Ruben Amorim.
Amorim valued Mazraoui’s versatility and the admiration is mutual. “A great manager, a great person,” he said of the head coach. “I really love to work with him. I like him a lot. His way of thinking, his way of managing, his way of talking. He’s like a manager with a lot of values, which I have the same. So, yeah, that works great together.”
