Sofyan Amrabat claims Erik ten Hag wanted permanent Manchester United move but was overruled

Evening Standard

·24 October 2024

Sofyan Amrabat claims Erik ten Hag wanted permanent Manchester United move but was overruled

Man United had option to sign Amrabat permanently for £17m but decided against doing so

Sofyan Amrabat has claimed Erik ten Hag wanted Manchester United to keep him at the club, but that decision was overruled by the club’s technical director Jason Wilcox.

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The 28-year-old spent last season on loan at United, who had the option to make the move from Fiorentina a permanent one for £17million in the summer.

United opted against doing so, signing Manuel Ugarte from PSG to bolster their options, and Amrabat instead joined Fenerbahce on loan, working under Jose Mourinho in Turkey.

Amrabat and Mourinho will go up against familiar faces when Fenerbahce face United in the Europa League on Thursday night, and the Moroccan midfielder has discussed his summer departure ahead of the match.

'He wanted to keep me this summer so I wish him the best,” Amrabat told the Mail. “But not for Thursday. I hope they lose.”

Asked to clarify the circumstances around United’s decision not to bring him back to Old Trafford, Amrabat added: “The only thing that I want to say is that you have to ask Mr Wilcox.”

Wilcox was appointed United’s technical director in April, with the club announcing he would work with “all technical areas of the football department”.

Amrabat’s final appearance for United came in the FA Cup final win over Manchester City, when he impressed as Ten Hag’s side produced a performance and result that effectively saved the Dutchman’s job.

The midfielder made 30 appearances in all competitions during his time in England.

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