Manchester United are waiting for the results of medical examinations on Noussair Mazraoui after the defender was forced off during Morocco’s 2-0 win over Lesotho in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Mazraoui left the pitch in the 69th minute after appearing to suffer a serious injury, with Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi coming on in his place.
The injury has raised concerns at Manchester United, with the club confirming that their player was injured while representing Morocco. The full extent of the problem will only become clearer after further medical examinations.
Morocco’s victory was secured by goals from Ibrahim Diaz and Azzedine Ounahi, giving the Atlas Lions six points at the top of Group A. They had opened their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Gabon.
However, the result was overshadowed by Mazraoui’s injury, with the Manchester United defender appearing to be in considerable pain after going down on the pitch.
His Morocco team-mates and members of the national team’s medical staff immediately moved towards him as he received attention before being replaced.
The timing of the injury is particularly significant for Mazraoui, who had recently shown signs of returning to form. The 28-year-old scored against Gabon in Morocco’s opening qualifying match, ending a four-year wait for an international goal.
That performance had provided an encouraging moment for a player whose involvement with Manchester United this season has been limited. Mazraoui has made five appearances for the club during the current campaign.
The latest injury has therefore created further uncertainty over his immediate availability, with Manchester United now waiting for the outcome of the examinations before the severity of the problem can be established.
There is also concern because of Mazraoui’s previous injury history. He has suffered 29 different injuries during his football career, adding to the attention surrounding the latest setback.
Manchester United moved quickly to acknowledge the injury after Morocco’s match, confirming that Mazraoui had picked up a problem while on international duty.
The club are now awaiting the final medical results, which are expected to provide a clearer indication of how serious the injury is and how it could affect the defender’s return to action.
For Morocco, the injury came during an otherwise comfortable victory that maintained their perfect start to the qualifying campaign. For Manchester United, however, attention has shifted to Mazraoui’s medical assessment and the outcome of the tests.
Until those examinations are completed, the extent of the defender’s injury remains unclear.
