Why Michael Carrick is likely to keep hold of Noussair Mazraoui despite Milan interest

[p]The game of brinkmanship between players, agents and club boards will be in full swing by now, particularly for those footballers who have made it clear that they see their futures elsewhere.[/p][h2]One week left of the transfer window[/h2][p]There are, of course, situations which arise where clubs themselves want to offload some fringe players who may be quite happy to stay put, but such are the machinations that often occur behind the scenes, and which reveal themselves at the last possible moment.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-united/ppjDR086/"]Man Utd[/a] could still be considered to be in a transitional period after a tumultuous few years, firstly under Erik ten Hag, and then Ruben Amorim.[/p][embed guid="be8db687-e9a9-4831-8618-7a712529c67f" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2077084255113334845" social-type="twitter" /][p]Michael Carrick steadied the ship somewhat and certainly restored a little pride in the squad by the end of a season which ended with qualification back into the Champions League.[/p][p]For that reason alone, the Red Devils have needed to be spot on in their transfer dealings this summer, which to date has seen [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/andrey-santos/vDrVnIrd/"]Andrey Santos[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tielemans-youri/GtkTQyib/"]Youri Tielemans[/a] signed, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sancho-jadon/n5mG9yn6/"]Jadon Sancho[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bayindir-altay/GxVeO5x1/"]Altay Bayindir[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/casemiro/Ukeq3c0b/"]Casemiro[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hojlund-rasmus/0lk9Mt7D/"]Rasmus Hojlund[/a] move on.[/p][infobox id="c5ce5f5a-ccb6-468f-9fce-bb4a330c372a" /][h2]Stability needed[/h2][p]That's not an awful lot of business when set alongside the likes of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tottenham/UDg08Ohm/"]Tottenham Hotspur[/a] or [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chelsea/4fGZN2oK/"]Chelsea[/a], for example, though arguably United can ill afford either a clearout or a flood of new faces incoming.[/p][p]What Carrick needs, firstly, is stability, and that will only be achieved by making a few tweaks here and there.[/p][embed guid="d8d5046f-8f94-4b6d-acb9-a81c2feb36b7" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2058148250687795245" social-type="twitter" /][p]There are rumours that a move could be made for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/barcelona/SKbpVP5K/"]Barcelona[/a]'s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/balde-alejandro/6c0CXHVM/"]Alejandro Balde[/a], with the left-back presumably being tracked for the purpose of being a player that can give [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/shaw-luke/88iLXV0O/"]Luke Shaw[/a] some serious competition.[/p][p]Whether that deal comes off or not, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mazraoui-noussair/2ajowGAq/"]Noussair Mazraoui[/a] may have played his last game at the Theatre of Dreams.[/p][h2]Mazraoui wants to move on[/h2][p]The player has apparently indicated a desire to move on, though his versatility in being able to play as a full-back, wing-back or on the right side of a back three is certainly an asset that United could do with at this juncture.[/p][p]Given his contract isn't up until the summer of 2028, too, they have no reason to sell at this point, unless a favourable offer comes in.[/p][embed guid="606ae1d3-5ac3-4b37-9e05-d004202e0f22" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2081623870960816462?lang=en" social-type="twitter" /][p]Rumours in Italy suggest that might well happen as Amorim is keen to bring the player, whom the Portuguese regarded as "technically gifted" during his time on the Old Trafford bench, to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ac-milan/8Sa8HInO/"]Milan[/a].[/p][p]The player made just 20 appearances for the club last season, 11 as a starter, with only 984 cumulative minutes played, which is equivalent to just under 11 full matches in all competitions.[/p][h2]Injuries have curtailed the player's progress[/h2][p]Four separate injuries and an illness kept him out of action for 15 games, and an extensive injury record over the past two to three seasons seemingly hasn't put off Amorim.[/p][p]Of the 28 tackles that Mazraoui made last season, 16 of them were successful, for a completion rate of 57.14%. With many other United players posting between 55% and 60%, the 28-year-old's figure was therefore perfectly acceptable.[/p][embed guid="7b6d57af-f73f-475f-af81-35609c971601" url="https://x.com/samuelluckhurst/status/2029318553040457884" social-type="twitter" /][p]Given his lack of minutes, 54 clearances, 28 headed clearances, 46 ball recoveries and 14 interceptions were also a noteworthy return.[/p][p]It's perhaps his excellence in one-on-one duels which really sets him apart, however.[/p][h2]Brilliant in one-on-ones[/h2][p]Of the 108 he attempted, 68 were won, giving him a 62.96% success rate, which was better than every other outfield player in the squad other than [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maguire-harry/xG8v3YRA/"]Harry Maguire[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/martinez-lisandro/GIzJAqQs/"]Lisandro Martinez[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/heaven-ayden/rs7PiPFt/"]Ayden Heaven[/a].[/p][p]Even his pass completion of 82.21% was only bettered by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mainoo-kobbie/nBy3DbC3/"]Kobbie Mainoo[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/traore-amad/I5Rhq1WL/"]Amad Diallo[/a], suggesting that when Mazraoui gets a run of games under his belt, his excellence in play is without question.[/p][image alt="Noussair Mazraoui's recent player ratings" id="377b1567-75c6-431e-81a4-31b10b00ed3b" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="2b06e911-5dfd-4795-8716-7039b86a9b69" original-width="2160" original-height="2702" /][p]To that end, Carrick may decide that the 28-year-old is worth keeping hold of for the simple reason of what he offers to the team, and the positional intelligence that he has.[/p][p]Notwithstanding that the player himself will want to push through a switch elsewhere, United remain in the driving seat, and after a shocking 2026/27 [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/hull-S66R0t75/manchester-utd-ppjDR086/?mid=zc0VjBZF"]opening-day loss[/a] to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hull-city/S66R0t75/"]Hull City[/a], can the Red Devils really afford to lose players that have served them well of late?[/p][infobox id="8a8311c3-81b3-440e-8b49-36091db073d1" /]