Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui delivered a fabulous performance for Morocco during their World Cup round of 32 win over the Netherlands on penalties.
The 28-year-old has been a consistent starter at left-back for Morocco at the tournament, and he produced a defensive masterclass during their victory on Monday night.
Mazraoui won a stunning nine ground and aerial duels against the Dutch. The United ace also made 12 clearances alongside four tackles and three recoveries for the Atlas Lions.
The £17 million signing made 19 defensive contributions, which was the most by any player on the pitch.
His most important involvement was undoubtedly during the dying seconds of second-half stoppage time (1-1). He made a terrific sliding tackle to deny a potential late Dutch winner.
Morocco eventually played out a 1-1 draw in regulation time before winning on penalties (3-2). The African heavyweights will now face co-hosts Canada in the round of 16 on July 4.
Meanwhile, Mazraoui has been simply exceptional as a left-back for Morocco, and he has shown United that they may not need to pursue a fresh solution for the position this summer.
There has been much talk about the club needing another left-back to support the injury-prone Luke Shaw, given Patrick Dorgu is more adept as a left winger and could play there in future.
However, Mazraoui has showcased why he should be considered as a competitor to Shaw, at least in the short term. United may not need to invest in the left-back department for next season.
Instead, the funds could be utilised to pursue a marquee attacker or an extra central midfielder to compensate for the long-term injury sustained by Manuel Ugarte at the World Cup.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
