Sofyan Amrabat wants to stay at Manchester United, but has he done enough to convince?

Sofyan Amrabat’s loan spell at Manchester United was dwindling to nothing by early May. The 27-year-old Morocco international did not start a Premier League game away to Liverpool in December 2023. His only full game came when he was called on to come on at left-back in an FA tie Cup at Nottingham Forest. He didn’t shy away from the request and United won 1-0.

Amrabat, who reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup with the Atlas Lions, was barely missed by United fans. In their eyes, he hadn’t done enough to convince them otherwise when he started games shortly after his season-long loan from Fiorentina was confirmed. United would not have completed it had Kobbie Mainoo not been injured against Real Madrid in a pre-season game in July.

Let’s look at it from Amrabat’s perspective. Fiorentina knew he wanted to leave before the start of this season and prevented him from training with the rest of the squad. He therefore spent the entire pre-season training alone and, because he was not in the squad, did not play a single match.

All the while, there was real interest in the midfielder and he received offers from eight clubs in England, Italy, Spain and Saudi Arabia. One club was a major rival and spoke to their manager but held out as they were waiting for United to make a bid.

When the move ended and he came to Manchester, he was unable to play due to an injury sustained during training with the Moroccan national team. When Amrabat returned to fitness, he offered to play at left-back as United were short of fit left-backs. He just wanted to play for United. Thus, he was chosen to make his debut against Crystal Palace in the League Cup, but did not play a game for three months.

United won 3-0 with a good performance from Amrabat. For a long time it was United’s only impressive performance of the season. National assessed he 7/10 and wrote “First start for United for the on-loan Moroccan, played from his usual left-back position. He was applauded after a defensive block stopped an early Palace cross. Physically strong and regularly moved into midfield. Decent start.”

“It was the perfect night and I’ve worked my whole career, my life for this,” the player said in an emotional post-match interview, marveling at his new surroundings. “It’s Tuesday and the whole stadium is full!”

In January, Amrabat went to the Africa Cup of Nations. When he returned, he had lost his place at United, but he trained and worked hard. He picked up the odd minutes off the bench – just 45 minutes in total in 11 league games. The only time he was given meaningful minutes in the Premier League was when he came on at Crystal Palace with his side 3-0 down. Palace won 4-0.

This was now United’s lowest point of the season. The team had dropped to eighth place and were about to play three teams with excellent recent records again Erik ten Hag’s side: Arsenal, who were chasing a league title; Newcastle United, who had beaten United twice already, and Brighton, who usually beat United at home. Then there was the matter of an FA Cup final against Manchester City.

Amrabat went to see his coach and pleaded to start a game in his favored position no. 6. Ten Hag were under pressure to change their tactics and limit the number of scoring opportunities their opponents had. Against Arsenal, his team was more pragmatic, did not press high and tried to keep the two central midfielders (Amrabat and Mainoo) together without the ball so that the team did not stretch too much. It was ironic that something like this happened for Arsenal’s goal when Casemiro, as a makeshift midfielder, was badly positioned. But while United lost 1-0, the squad – and particularly Amrabat, who had his best game for the club since then – were vastly improved compared to the disaster at Palace.

The former Utrecht, Feyenoord, Club Bruges, Hellas Verona and Fiorentina man kept his place for United’s final league game of the season, another win as United finished eighth in the league, level on points with Newcastle United, who had a superior goal difference. . Seventh seemed good enough for European football in 2024/25, eighth was not.

With Manchester City clear favorites to lift the FA Cup and deny United European football and rumors circulating that the Ten Hag would lose his job, all eyes were on the final at Wembley. At least he got some of his players back from injury and shouldn’t have played Casemiro at fullback. The Brazilian was expected to move into midfield, but there was some surprise that Amrabat was picked ahead of him in a 4-2-2-2 formation. Surprise but no alarm after his good form in previous games.

Amrabat was one of United’s best players in what was surely his biggest and best game for United. Beaten for pace by Phil Foden in one early move, he got away from opponents in City’s midfield, closed down spaces for City to exploit and maintained disciplined positions while protecting his defence.

Amrabat’s footballing intelligence was on display in a wonderful afternoon for him and his club. Twice runner-up in the final with Fiorentina, he clutched his winners’ medal in the exuberant post-match celebrations. Amrabat prays five times a day and his life is in a positive place, but what happens next?

United paid Fiorentina £8.5m on loan and there is an option to buy him for a reported £20m when the loan spell ends later this month. He would like to stay at United, especially as he has shown supporters the player he can be in the final month of the season. He also enjoys living in Hale, South Manchester, and believes the group of players is a good one, without the advantage he has experienced at other clubs.

However, Amrabat is one of several players and coaches, including the manager, who do not know if he will be at Manchester United much longer.

Man United 2023/24 Player Ratings

Updated: 04 June 2024, 06:35