MAZRAOUI on schedule, overload, Utd v FC twente
24/09/2024
Carrington Training centre, Manchester, UK
24/09/2024
Carrington Training centre, Manchester, UK
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SportsTranscript
00:00I think if you look at the individual qualities of everyone, it's definitely a top team.
00:28You started well, but I'm sure you can do a lot better.
00:32Yes, of course. You can't expect that if you're new to a club. I said that after my first game. I had two training sessions with the team. I've never played with 80% of the players.
00:48So of course I expect that if the connections and automatisms get better, there will be a rising line.
00:59One thing, the discussion in the world of football. We play too many games, especially here in England. What do you think about that?
01:12I think if you add everything up, competition games, cup games, Interland, European Championships, World Cup clubs,
01:30I think if you're well prepared to play everything, you play 70 games in the season. I don't think that's for everyone.
01:41I think per club, maybe one or two players can make it without getting injured. So you have to think about whether that's healthy.
02:00Are you playing for a top club? Are you playing in a top team? The answer is yes, for sure. If you look at the individual qualities of each player, then I think we can say for certain that this is a top team.
02:16You've started very well. Do you think you're going to go on improving?
02:26You have to understand when you come here as a new player, your expectations are that things will only get better.
02:38I've attended two trainings. There are 80% of the players in the squad who I've never played with yet. So my expectation is that once the corrections and the automatic responses become a bit more bedded in and natural, that things can only go up and up.
02:59Regarding the discussion about people playing too many games, what's your view on that?
03:10There are competition games, there are cup games, there are internationals, there's the European Championships, the World Championships. So if you're properly poised, prepared, you may be playing up to 70 games in a season, which of course isn't for everyone.
03:31It's likely in most clubs that there will be just one or two players who make it through that season without any injuries at all.
04:02It's clear that you've had a tough time at Ajax. But when you think of the two guys, Karel Eiting and Matthijs Vliek, why do you think they're wise men?
04:11I'm sure they know. I think they still have a lot of contact with each other. And they're still very good friends. And that was always a click, those two together with Dani de Wit.
04:25It's great that they see each other again. And also for me, of course, that I see these guys again. It's great to see and talk to each other a bit.
04:39When you think back on your relationship with Karel, how would you describe that in your youth?
04:52In my youth, of course, it was different than it is now, where we're both at. I think Karel was more talented in his youth than I was.
05:06But as you said, everyone walks their own path, for different reasons. I know that Karel, when he first came to Ajax, he had an injury that lasted a long time.
05:21And then not everything goes the way you want it to. Someone goes left, someone goes right. I think that's the beauty of football, that there are so many factors that determine what path you take in your career.
05:40We just spoke to René Haken about his love for FC Twente. Erik ten Hag is also in love with FC Twente. What do you think about the fans, but also about FC Twente?
05:51FC Twente was always a difficult away game. I've never been there that often, not even in my free time. I know that the coach comes from that area, and I'm super good with him. I know that the Turkish and the people there, I can shoot with.
06:22A lot of your contemporaries are playing on the other side. When we think about people like Karel Uytting, Matthijs de Ligt, they're all from your generation, and also from the time at Ajax.
06:45The answer is yes, I think those two still have a lot of close contact with each other. They used to be quite the clique, together with Danny de Wit. So it will be fun to see them again and to have a catch-up. Looking forward to it.
07:00Looking back to your time with the youth teams, what were the expectations in those days surrounding you and surrounding Karel? How would you describe those expectations?
07:20Back in the time that we were in the youth team, I think Karel was viewed as more of a talent, as a bigger talent than I was. But ultimately, as you already said yourself, everybody travels their own road in football.
07:39For example, I know that Karel in the early days had an injury that caused him a great deal of trouble, and his recovery took a long time. So that's one point at which I think our paths diverged.
07:53That's the beautiful thing about football, that where you end up is dependent on a great many different factors and possible points of divergent paths.
08:04Question. We've seen René Haaker is here, Erik ter Haag. They both have very close ties with Twente, with the region and with the concept of the people from that region being Dukkers.
08:23How do you see your relationship with Twente, with FC Twente?
08:28Twente was always a difficult away game. I haven't been there very often myself, but our coach is from that area and I get on very well with him. So in that sense, we get on with the Dukkers.
08:50Question. What was the attraction about joining Manchester United? Bayern Munich are obviously a great club and many people might think they're more likely to win big trophies than Manchester United at the moment. What is the attraction of coming here?
09:12I think if you compare both of them, you cannot say that one is bigger than the other. Maybe even internationally speaking, Manchester United is probably even bigger than Bayern Munich, so that's for sure one of the reasons.
09:31The other reason is I felt at that time, so last summer after two seasons playing at Bayern, that for me I needed and I wanted another step based on a lot of reasons.
09:51I felt OK there, but I had the feeling I could feel better and more comfortable somewhere else. That's why I eventually chose to change clubs and that's when Manchester United came. I don't really think I have to explain why you go to such a club.
10:14You were just talking about preparing for up to 70 games a season. How can you do that physically, how can you do that mentally and is that something that's frustrating for the players in the changing room?
10:29Yeah, that's a good question. I think if we really had the answer on this question, I think for sure a lot of players would be able to play up to 70 games.
10:44Realistically what you see is that, what I said, a big team who plays a lot of matches, they're not able to play this much of the games. You see one or two players who play up to 70 and being fit the whole season.
11:13I don't really think there's yet or there will be eventually something which you can prepare for this, because it's getting more every season and every season you see more and more injuries, so I think eventually if you see this altogether it's too much.
11:38A lot of fans are commenting on your transfer fee and how modest it seems to be given the start you've made at Manchester United. Were you surprised by allowing you to leave for that kind of fee and what have you made of your start at United so far?
11:52Eventually it's not me who decides the fee, so I can't really say something about that because that's the negotiation between Manchester United and Bayern Munich, so I can't really say something about that.
12:15Eventually it works good for me because I was not that expensive I think and I made a good start, so it's easier for the fans to say that I'm a good buy this summer.
12:38Obviously you already know the manager Eriksen Haak, how big of a factor was he for you joining Manchester United?
12:47Of course it's a big factor, I think always if you decide to go to another club, because you have to decide if the manager and his way of seeing football fits into how you play your football.
13:03That was for me with him, I knew him already, I knew his way of seeing the game and his style really fits into how I play and that's really a big factor.
13:18That you work beforehand with him is also making it easier because I knew always what he expected from me and he knows it from my side as well, so I think seeing those things makes it easier, but eventually what I already said it was not the only factor to come to this big of a club.
13:47Does also playing with De Ligt, who you played with before as well, does that help you settle in knowing the right side is centre-back?
13:57Yeah, of course. I think that's also one of the big reasons, not just De Ligt, that I knew already some players here to settle in better and easier.
14:09It's tough to come to a new club, new environment, new players, new people, but the moment you feel comfortable is the moment you play better, because I knew quite some players here and I came together with Matthijs, it makes life easier.
14:28A lot of United fans are calling you to sign at the season, how have you felt the reception from the fans different to the Bayern Munich?
14:49Yeah, of course, the fans make these positive comments, I still want to say it's still early, after five games you hear some things, but this love from the fans is a really good feeling, I appreciate them and they appreciate me.
15:15If we can start off well like this, I also want to give them more.
15:27What are Ruden and Rene like to work with and how have they improved your game so far?
15:34Yeah, it's also tough to say, because I'm just a month here, so I knew them from name, but I never worked with them before.
15:53But yeah, we speak a lot, they help the team a lot, Rene is also a big factor of settling in easily, because they also speak Dutch, so they know the culture and how I am already as a player.
16:16So this helps also settling in better, and yeah, we speak a lot about the game, about positioning-wise, about the defensive line, to improve, to be better as an individual, but also as a whole team and a whole group.