Sofyan Amrabat is fresh off the back of his full Manchester United debut – and what a shift he put in.
The Moroccan was granted his maiden outing at Old Trafford for the side’s third-round Carabao Cup tie against Crystal Palace. He featured for 60 minutes and was undoubtedly one of the standout performers in the 3-0 victory, leaving supporters hopeful of what’s to come from their new addition.
Across the summer, Amrabat was heavily linked with the Red Devils from the moment the window opened. They needed another midfielder, and he only had eyes for United, so getting the deal over the line seemed like it’d be easy enough, right?
We’re all familiar with the club’s business structure by now though; they instead waited until deadline day to send senior figure Matt Hargreaves over to Italy to get the green light from Fiorentina, eventually signing Amrabat on a season-long loan deal.
The 27-year-old had reportedly garnered interest from numerous clubs across Europe, including Liverpool, but rebuffed their offers in hopes of securing his transfer to the 20-time English champions.
Amrabat reflects on a hectic summer
He touched on the matter post-match on Tuesday night, telling the Independent: “Yes, of course [it was a difficult process]. After the last game with the club [Fiorentina], it was the Conference League final with West Ham and from that moment, the window started for me.
“A lot of clubs, a lot of speaking, talking, but for me, it was clear I wanted Manchester United.
“It was long, long months for me, difficult months for me, but at the end, it’s nice on the last day that I signed here and that I’m here is now the most important (thing).”
