Exactly one year ago, Morocco dazzled the world of football with a series of crazy performances in the World Cup. During this World Cup in Qatar, a player amazed everyone: Sofyan Amrabat. The 26-year-old defensive midfielder was already renowned in Italy with Fiorentina. But under the colors of the Atlas Lions, he had reached a real milestone against prestigious opponents. Enough to catch the eye of many European clubs, from PSG to FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid. Both clubs were in favor of the player who had exchanged with Xavi and Diego Simeone. However, after staying 6 more months at Fiorentina, Sofyan Amrabat experienced a very calm transfer window.
Finally, in the last hours of the transfer window, after the inability of the two Spanish clubs to financially align with the demands of the Viola, and his refusal to go to Saudi Arabia, Sofyan Amrabat joined Manchester United on a paying loan with the option of almost obligatory purchase. A choice which was surprising given the needs of the Red Devils squad, notably Casemiro and McTominay. But there, the Moroccan found Erik ten Hag who had known him in Utrecht. “I knew Manchester United were interested for a long time. For me it was clear that this was the only place I wanted to play. I had to be very patient,” he said at the time.
Misused and already on the move?
Three months after his signing, the results are disappointing for the Moroccan international (50 caps). After a remarkable debut in his new colors, Sofyan Amrabat slowly, but surely, sank into oblivion. Sometimes used in a surprising way as a left back by his coach, the Moroccan did not particularly score points. He has thus accumulated 18 minutes over the last three Premier League matches (2 matches passed without coming into play). This Wednesday in the Champions League, he started for the first time in more than 3 weeks. But he was replaced shortly before the hour mark. In the wake of this match, the English press revealed that Erik ten Hag had been unhappy with the level of his player.
More generally, the English press agrees that Sofyan Amrabat is gradually becoming undesirable on the Manchester United side. According to Guardian And The Sun, the player could even leave the club very quickly, during the next transfer window just like Mason Mount. This would therefore be a bitter failure for the Moroccan who had all the good stuff this summer after showing great things in Italy. But his choice to join the Premier League at the end of the transfer window (while he waited until the last minute for an offer from Barça or AtlĂ©tico) is not bearing fruit. The Sun also specifies that the player cannot adapt to the intensity and style of the Premier League while Erik ten Hag’s positioning choices do not give him confidence either. While we expected an outbreak at the highest level after the World Cup, Sofyan Amrabat is plateauing and will quickly have to shake things up to reverse the trend. Because Morocco is counting on him from January for the next CAN 2024 in Ivory Coast.
