DEAL OFF Erik Ten Hag is making a big mistake if he chooses this midfielder over Amrabat amid claims that the serie A Hitman has agreed to join Juventus
Manchester United are looking to bolster their midfield, with the departure of Fred to Fenerbahce imminent after the player flew to Istanbul to complete his medical yesterday.
The club have been widely reported to be readying a bid for Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat to replace his position in the squad, with the Moroccan offering far more in the number six position in term of shielding the defence and keeping hold of possession.
But after his excellent performance yesterday against Fulham, Amadou Onana could well be a better fit, with the Belgian building upon his good form in difficult circumstances last season. Man United have been linked with a move for the 21-year-old over the course of the summer, with the midfielder possessing some qualities that would immediately improve The Red Devils’ midfield options.
A towering tough-tackler, Onana is a dependable duel winner and has taken to the demands of the Premier League with aplomb since his £33m move to Everton last summer. His physicality has certainly helped him to settle in, but his technical level is also extremely high.
He made an average of 5.5 ball recoveries per 90 minutes last season, while maintaining a passing accuracy of 84.02% – higher than any United midfielder to feature in over 1300 Premier League minutes and not called Christian Eriksen. Even that match up is a close-run thing, with the Dane recording an accuracy of 84.6%, although he notably plays far more dangerous passes.
Still, retention is something that needs to be improved upon at Old Trafford, particularly with the number of teams in the division willing to press with intensity increasing every season. But it is this very attribute in which Sofyan Amrabat excels.
The Fiorentina lynchpin is used to playing in a high pressing, possession-based side and it shows in his numbers. Amrabat’s passing accuracy blows any current United midfielder’s out of the water, with an 89.81% success rate in finding a team mate demonstrating his consistency.
The fact that 26.4% of Amrabat’s passes move the ball forward compared to 25.7% of Onana’s makes that precision all the more impressive. Roughly half of the Morocco star’s come in the opposition half to boot, and that alongside his take-on success rate of 76.47% (Onana’s is just 45.24%) makes him look far more suited to front-foot football.
As to the defensive side of the game, both players show excellence in terms of winning possession, but Amrabat’s experience in a positive outfit gives him the advantage, with the tenacious midfielder making 7.1 ball recoveries per 90 minutes last term.
There may be an argument to be made that playing for Everton in the Premier League last season was a lot more difficult than playing for Fiorentina in the Serie A, but since we have all seen Amrabat show his quality with an unfancied Morocco side, this excuse simply does not fly.
Additionally, Man United will have an easier time integrating a player who has some experience of playing for a dominant side than one who does not. The fact that Amrabat is well-versed in both is just another string to his bow.
The other main argument in favour of Onana will be his age, with the Moroccan five years his senior. But that only leads to another reason to favour Amrabat: price. Manchester United are scrambling for funds and, given their ages and contract situations, Amadou Onana would like cost more than twice the price of Sofyan Amrabat, and would then need to be significantly developed to reach the latter’s level. The choice looks clear.
