Ten Hag admits summer transfer mistake

Robin Bairner

• 21 Dec 2023 07:22 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United have made a decision over the future of midfielder Sofyan Amrabat that amounts to manager Erik ten Hag admitting that he got it wrong over the arrival of the Morocco international star.

Amrabat had been a player that Ten Hag had been chasing since the previous January, and he finally became a Man Utd player on Deadline Day in September, albeit in a loan capacity from Fiorentina.

After less than four months at Old Trafford, though, Ten Hag is “already planning” for the 27-year-old to return to his parent club, according to a report in The Sun.

Man Utd’s purchase option for the player ends in May 2024, with the Red Devils in line to pay €20.5 million to the Viola to trigger this fee.

This is a figure that Ten Hag apparently has no intention of paying, with the explosive rise to prominence of Kobee Mainoo rendering Amrabat surplus to requirements at Old Trafford.

Even when Mainoo was missing due to injury in the early part of the season, the Netherlands-born midfielder struggled to make an impact under Ten Hag, who had previously coached him at Utrecht.

Why Man Utd are ready to dump Amrabat

Although Amrabat has played 17 times for Man Utd, including starting the last three Premier League games, he has struggled to cut a convincing shape in the heart of the midfield, appearing to lack the mobility and athleticism players need for his role in the Premier League.

And already Ten Hag has made the decision to send him back to Italy.

“There’s no doubt that Amrabat is a good player, but there are question marks against whether he is the right fit for the Premier League,” an unnamed source told The Sun.

“He did very well in Italy but the pace of the game is very different and this is an area where he has struggled since arriving at United.

“There may well be interest from other clubs in Europe but as things stand he won’t be staying at United.”

Amrabat is the second of Ten Hag’s summer signings to prove a failure, with Sergio Reguilon’s loan from Tottenham liable to be cut short in January.

Meanwhile, there are ongoing doubts over Mason Mount and Andre Onana, who arrived from Chelsea and Inter respectively for a combined fee of around €115 million, while €74m striker Rasmus Hojlund is still waiting for his first Premier League goal.