Sofyan Amrabat
MUFC’s next midfielder after Mount?
Amrabat is a name that has come up a lot in the past couple of days as there have been numerous outlets linking him with a move to Old Trafford. This would mean a reunion between him and his former boss Erik ten Hag as the two of them worked together at FC Utrecht between 2015–2017.
A lot of people complain that ten Hag always looks to get in players that he’s worked with previously or are Dutch (like him, if you didn’t know 😜). I understand that this can seem a little ‘annoying’ but he would obviously like to bring in players he knows and can trust especially when you look at our negotiation department 😐.
Amrabat is another one of these players much like Malacia, Antony and Martinez, even Eriksen, who played for Ajax over a decade ago and trained with them after recovering from his heart surgery in January of 2022. That was the Ajax under Erik ten Hag. Those signings haven’t turned out so badly, have they? If that’s the quality he’s going to bring in when it comes to players he knows, then I’m all for it. Even new recruit Mason Mount is a player ten Hag knows somewhat well as Mason was on loan at Vitesse in the Netherlands while Erik was manager of Ajax.
So, Amrabat then, what is he all about?
Style of Play
The 26-year-old Moroccan international (who was born in Huizen, Netherlands) currently plays for Fiorentina in Serie A, both as a CDM and CM.
But it was at the recent World Cup where he caught the eye of a lot of people. The defensive shifts he put in in basically all of his country’s matches which saw them reach their first-ever WC semifinal, was nothing short of incredible. His ability to win back possession, his organization and overall holding down of the midfield for Morocco were particular standouts resulting in him being their most important player.
But don’t let those defensive capabilities fool you into thinking that he cannot ‘play ball’, so to speak. Quite the opposite in fact.
The midfielder is part of a Fiorentina side who are second best in Italy when it comes to average possession. Playing in midfield for a side like that, one definitely needs to know how to ‘play ball’.
This is where Amrabat shines as he is released from his shackles because he doesn’t have to do as much defensive work and can be more expansive. Kind of reminds me of watching Casemiro at Madrid compared to him at United. I never knew Casemiro was that good on the ball until he was let loose at MUFC.
Looking at his possession-based stats per 90, Amrabat ranks pretty highly among his competitors, usually around the 90th percentile. When it comes to passing, Sofyan attempts 67 passes per game with a pass completion rate of 88.8%. A decent amount of these are progressive passes (7.93) as well showing that he is more than capable of moving the ball forward.
Numbers like these also indicate that the Moroccan is more than able at dictating the play. The fact that he is really accurate at short, medium and long passes and passes through the lines is exactly what is needed in a ten Hag midfielder. Having these abilities allows him to vary his game.
Because of this amazing accuracy in his passing at all distances, Amrabat is able to spread the ball from deeper areas while still maintaining that good defensive ability he has. That is particularly great when our team wants to be more direct. A ball like that to Rashford can prove deadly.
Going forward though, he is even better. Sofyan has great vision allowing him to take advantage of passing lanes getting his teammates in behind opposition midfield and defensive lines.
This is a very important trait of his that would work so well in ten Hag’s team. Often over the past few years (and even last season), United have struggled against sides that sit deep and keep things tight. Trying to break those types of teams down was a seriously arduous task often resulting in a very frustrating game for the Red Devils. Having a player with the passing abilities and vision of Amrabat is exactly what’s needed at MUFC.
A midfielder who has good retention and dribbling skills like him is most welcome to. Under pressure, he doesn’t really feel the pressure as he can easily find ways to get out of a tight situation mainly by means of passing avenues.
Weaknesses
I do feel that he doesn’t have great output in terms of goals and assists. He didn’t score at all for his club last season and only had 1 assist.
And like Casemiro, he does pick up a large amount of yellow cards (16 last season) showing that he can be a little il-disciplined and rash. That could be a problem because we cannot afford to have two midfielders who are kind of out of control.
And despite playing a good amount of the time as a defensive midfielder, if you compare his defensive numbers with the likes of Casemiro, one will see that in all areas of the game, Amrabat falls well short of what Casemiro produces. Although he is a more than capable CDM, Amrabat isn’t someone I would trust to hold down the fort at the likes of Newcastle and Villa let alone the Emptihad and Anfield.
I know that comparing him (or anyone, in fact) to Casemiro in terms of these defensive numbers is a bit unfair due to how brilliant the Brazilian is at this aspect of the game, but one can’t ignore how far off Amrabat is with those figures.
Final Thoughts
Amrabat is another player that I wouldn’t have thought we’d be linked to at the start of the window but isn’t a player that I would necessarily say no to.
The fact that he isn’t in his prime yet at 26-years-old shows that there is still room for improvement and potential longetivity. Working in a position where he can learn from someone like Casemiro as well as from a manager in ten Hag who is amazing at developing players (and the fact that he’s worked with him before) are positives should we sign him.
I like these developmental, up and coming players who can learn from those at the club. I prefer that sort of a situation over one where we bring in someone to be the main man in a certain (important) position who is a potential risk.
We could use Sofyan both next to Casemiro and instead of him whenever necessary or should ten Hag just want to see how capable he is in that CDM role. This is a positive because it means rotation, rest and keeping players fresh.
Sofyan Amrabat coming to Man Utd could be the ideal midfielder for what we need when looking at how the Fiorentina man plays the game. He is undoubtedly a risk but I do trust ten Hag, so I would get him if he wants him.
We also tried to sign him on loan in January but Fiorentina said no. Now he will cost £25m.
I wouldn’t mind the Moroccan at United, would you?
#AMRABAT #ERIKTENHAG #TRANSFERS #MUFC #GGMU #GLAZERSOUT
