Man Utd suffer MAJOR transfer blow days after summer window ended
Cameron Smith
- 8 Sept 2023 08:11 BST
- 4 min read
Manchester United have been dealt a fresh transfer blow with news that Sofyan Amrabat has been forced to withdraw from the Morocco squad due to injury.
Amrabat, 27, finally joined the Red Devils on Transfer Deadline Day after a summer-long pursuit of the Fiorentina star.
However, the midfielder has only joined Man Utd on an initial one-year loan deal, with Erik ten Hag’s side paying €10 million for his services for the 2023-24 campaign.
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They do have the option to make the deal permanent next summer, which is something that is fairly likely to happen given their long-standing interest in the player.
Man Utd detected a minor back injury during Amrabat’s medical, but the 27-year-old was still cleared to link up with the Morocco squad. But, that injury appears to be more serious than first imagined, and Amrabat has now withdrawn from international duty.
The former Fiorentina man is well known to Red Devils boss Ten Hag, thanks to their time together at Utrecht, but he may have to wait to make his Old Trafford debut.
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With Mason Mount among those on the treatment table at Man Utd, Amrabat was seen as a necessary arrival, but his start to life at the club has been delayed by this injury set-back.
Given the large loan fee Man Utd are paying for the Moroccan, his delay to full fitness will come as a hammer blow to Ten Hag, who looks set to deploy last season’s midfield trio of Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes against Brighton & Hove Albion, unless Amrabat can make a miraculously quick recovery.
Amrabat seals ‘dream’ transfer
After the Moroccan joined Man Utd, his agent took to Instagram and wrote: “You had a dream that saw you playing under the lights in The Theatre of Dreams.
“You put your trust in me to make that dream a reality, and for 15 years we have been on this journey together that has seen you grow from a young boy with raw talent and a passion for football, to the man you are today, a world class player.
“After your performances at the World Cup, the biggest stage of all, the whole world was speaking your name. They all saw what I always knew, your talent was undeniable.
“My belief in you has never changed and even though these last three months were difficult with so many obstacles, you turned down every club that came calling because you had faith that your dream would come true. One club.
"We made it brother, a promise kept, a dream realised. The Theatre of Dreams awaits.”
