It has been an eventful week for Bayern Munich for the wrong reasons. The Bavarian club was knocked out of the Champions League after a 1-1 draw against Manchester City at Allianz Arena on Wednesday. Bayern lost the tie 4-1 on aggregate since they suffered a 3-0 defeat in Manchester a week ago.
Noussair Mazraoui didn’t play a minute across both ties against Manchester City. The Moroccan full-back has found it difficult to get playing time under Thomas Tuchel in the last five games across all competitions. The lack of game time has frustrated Mazraoui.
While talking to the media this week, Noussair Mazraoui expressed frustration about his lack of playing time despite shining for Bayern before the World Cup 2022. It does look like Benjamin Pavard and Joao Cancelo are ahead of him in the right-back position.
Despite Mazraoui’s public outburst about his playing time situation in Bavaria, Bayern is not contemplating his sale in the summer. According to Sport1’s Kerry Hau, Bayern will not actively look to sell Mazraoui in the summer as they consider him an integral part of their plans for the next season.
Kerry Hau has also reported that Mazraoui is yet to show the same fitness levels that he showed before a bout with the coronavirus. The former Ajax full-back needs to perform well in training to regain a spot in the starting XI.
According to sources within the club & coaching staff, Noussair Mazraoui hasn't been showing the same level of performances in training since his comeback from illness. Although he says he's fit, he still has fitness deficit & has to catch up. They expect more of him [@kerry_hau] pic.twitter.com/bFd0lKNHv0
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) April 21, 2023
Mazraoui had a very slow start to the season after arriving from Ajax on a free transfer in the last summer transfer window. He gradually took positive steps to impress Julian Nagelsmann two months into the season. The few weeks before the World Cup saw Mazraoui playing regularly in the right-back position.
However, the unfortunate infection due to coronavirus after the World Cup ruled out Mazraoui for weeks. The Moroccan full-back eventually returned to action at the end of February. Die Roten had to slowly integrate him into the team since he was returning after a long layoff. However, getting only a minute of playing time under Tuchel in the last six games has infuriated the Moroccan defender.
Want your voice heard? Join the Bayern Strikes team!
Bayern will have the decision to make regarding Joao Cancelo at the end of the season. The Portuguese full-back is currently on loan from Man City. Meanwhile, Pavard’s future at Die Roten is also uncertain as he enters the final 12 months of his contract. In such a scenario, it makes sense for Bayern to keep Noussair Mazraoui for at least next season. The Moroccan full-back needs to be patient right now and make the most of the chances he will get until the end of the season.