- Manchester United have struggled to find form so far this season
- They have suffered another blow as a summer signing is set to be sidelined
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Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui has undergone heart surgery after complaining of palpitations.
United’s new £17million signing from Bayern Munich came about at half-time of Sunday’s goalless draw against Aston Villa after feeling unwell and withdrawing from international duty with Morocco this week.
Club sources say there was no emergency and the minor correction procedure for a relatively normal condition was a success.
Mazraoui is expected to make a full recovery and is likely to be available for selection within weeks instead of the two months Italian reports have speculated as him suffering from an irregular heartbeat.
The 26-year-old right-back was out of action for three months at the beginning of last year when he was diagnosed with inflammation of the heart tissue after contracting Covid-19.
Man United’s Noussair Mazraoui is sidelined due to a rare heart condition
Mail Sport understands that Mazraoui has already undergone a minor correction procedure after experiencing heart palpitations
Mazraoui signed for United after the Community Shield in August and rejoined his old Ajax boss Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. He has played in all ten games this season, starting all but the Carabao Cup win over Barnsley.
His United teammate Christian Eriksen became the first top player to be fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator – a device that resets the heart after cardiac arrest – after collapsing on the pitch while playing for Denmark at the 2021 European Championship.
Mazraoui is the second United signing of the summer to face a layoff, after centre-back Leny Yoro was ruled out for three months in August following surgery on a broken metatarsal suffered in pre-season.
Heart problems have been a common problem in football in recent years, with teammates Eriksen, Sergio Aguero and Juan Izquierdo all suffering from them.
Former Man City star Sergio Aguero was diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia after suffering chest pain 41 minutes into his first start for Barcelona in 2021.
The striker required medical attention on the pitch shortly before half-time after complaining of dizziness and shortness of breath during Barcelona’s match with Alaves.
The summer signing has become an important member of United in the early stages of the year
Sergio Aguero was forced to retire after being diagnosed with the same condition in 2021
Aguero was diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia after suffering chest pain 41 minutes into his first start for Barcelona after joining the Catalans on a free transfer from Manchester City
The forward was initially told to rest for three months but decided to announce his retirement from professional football at a ‘special ceremony’ at Camp Nou after receiving additional test results.
Aguero detailed exactly how he felt during the match, claiming it was like he was ‘drowning’ and ‘about to pass out’ before revealing he had experienced the same problems in training a week earlier.
In August, Uruguayan footballer Juan Izquierdo died after the 27-year-old collapsed during a Copa Libertadores match.
He was quickly helped by medics on the field and was taken to hospital after suffering from a ‘cardiac arrhythmia’ – an abnormality of the heart rhythm.
In the aftermath, his mother Sandra Viana thanked both Nacional and Sao Paulo for the way the clubs responded to the tragedy, while revealing that doctors had explained the cause of his death.
“We wanted to know what the cause of the heart rhythm disturbances was, because Juan had never had heart problems,” she told Sport890.
Uruguayan footballer Juan Izquierdo died in August while playing for Nacional
Players had called for medics after Juan Izquierdo collapsed on the pitch last month
‘The doctors studied the case and told us that he had contracted a virus. He had only complained of swollen lymph nodes.
‘The doctors told us that the virus had settled in his heart and that the impact of the race and the high pace had caused the heart rhythm disturbances. That’s what the cardiologists and neurologists told me.’
Mazraoui’s absence would be a major loss for United and Ten Hag, given how well the former Ajax full-back had adapted to life in Manchester.
The 26-year-old has played in all seven of United’s Premier League matches to date and provided an assist in their 2-1 defeat to Brighton in August.