“I wanted to sign my own preferred midfielder but the board insisted I must use Casemiro… I’m so done now, he must leave”: Erik ten Hag names TWO Word-class midfielder he wanted to sign but the board opposed his decision
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag wanted to bring back Sofyan Amrabat at the club but the new directors decided to reject the Dutchman’s wish, as per TalkSPORT.
The Moroccan joined the Red Devils on a loan deal last summer and had a topsy-turvy campaign last term. But, he showcased his qualities during the final few games and eventually helped them win the FA Cup title by beating Manchester City in the final.
Now, TalkSPORT states that Ten Hag was keen on bringing the midfielder back to Old Trafford but the new sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox eventually blocked the move.
Amrabat has now joined Fenerbahce on a loan deal this summer and the Turkish side – who are currently managed by former United boss Jose Mourinho – will face off against the Old Trafford outfit later this season in the Europa League so the 28-year-old could face off against his old club.
United decided to strengthen the midfield by signing Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain and it remains to be seen how the Uruguayan performs in the Premier League as he struggled to showcase his best for Les Parisiens last season.
Amrabat, valued at around £18.5m by Transfermarkt, wasn’t convincing enough last term to justify that United should sign him permanently. Therefore, it is the right decision that the Red Devils decided not to secure his signature and instead opted to go for another option.
Ten Hag wanted Amrabat
Man Utd were very busy in the recently concluded summer window as they were trying to strengthen the squad to hand Ten Hag enough resources to find success this season having struggled last campaign.
Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro joined the club to bolster the backline, while Joshua Zirkzee signed from Bologna to strengthen the frontline. However, unfortunately, Yoro has sustained a serious injury so he has been ruled out for several months.
Despite a successful summer window, Man Utd have endured a dire start to this season, winning only one of the first three games and losing two.
So, the pressure is already on Ten Hag. The CEO, Omar Barrada and Ashworth have publicly said that they are fully behind the Dutch boss at the moment.
But, if things don’t improve after the international break then United might be forced to take action. So, it is going to be interesting to see whether the former Ajax boss can eventually manage to turn the situation around over the coming weeks.
