Amrabat to Follow Hojlund Through the Door at Old Trafford?

31.07.23 724

Manchester United appear keen to complete their transfer business as early as possible this summer.

The club have announced a deal to sign Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta for a fee of £64 million plus add-ons.

The Dane has been linked with a move to Old Trafford all summer so it comes as little surprise to hear the transfer will go through.

However, Erik ten Hag does not want to stop adding to his squad and the final addition of the transfer window could come in the form of Sofyan Amrabat.

The central midfielder currently plays for Fiorentina in Italy and enjoyed an impressive 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Exciting young central midfielder Kobbie Mainoo injured his ankle during a preseason friendly and while the 18 year old should return early in the 2023/24 campaign, Ten Hag wants to add more experience to his central midfield.

Casemiro is the first choice holding midfielder in the Manchester United squad but at the age of 31, the Brazilian cannot play every match during the season.

Manchester United will be pushing for trophies on four fronts this season, including the Premier League and Champions League.

Games will be coming thick and fast and Ten Hag knows he needs another quality option in defensive midfield.

Both Scott McTominay and Fred have been given opportunities by Ten Hag and neither player has done enough to secure their place in the squad for next season.

In fact, Ten Hag may have to move on at least one of McTominay and Fred to get the deal for Amrabat over the line.

Due to financial fair play restrictions, Manchester United will need to sell before they can enter the transfer market again following the signing of Hojlund.

Harry Maguire is another player who could leave the club this summer, with West Ham United strongly linked with the England international defender.

Amrabat is a player who has the fitness levels to get around the pitch and cover other players when Manchester United are hit on the counterattack.

The Moroccan international has excellent technical skills and knows how to pick a pass at the right time.

He is hungry to get to the top of the game and that is exactly the type of player Ten Hag is looking to add to his squad, rather than a big name player.

Amrabat is not going to create goal scoring chances for his teammates as his statistics show from Serie A last season when he registered just one assist in 29 matches.

However, Amrabat is not being targeted because of his creative abilities in the final third and during the 2022 World Cup for Morocco, Amrabat made 33 recoveries and 6 interceptions.

He had an 87% pass completion rate and if he can produce that form in the Premier League for Manchester United, the rumoured fee of around £30 million would prove to be excellent business.