Man Utd: Amrabat hints one Old Trafford chief overruled Ten Hag to block transfer – ‘he wanted me’
Fenerbahce midfielder Sofyan Amrabat has hinted that one key figure at Manchester United overruled Erik ten Hag, who “wanted” to sign him permanently.
Amrabat was one of Man Utd‘s top targets during the 2023 summer transfer window after he shone for Morocco and Fiorentina during the 2022/23 campaign.
The Red Devils could not sign Amrabat permanently as they were impacted by Financial Fair Play regulations. Instead, he joined the Premier League giants on loan and this deal included an option to buy clause.
The defensive midfielder struggled to make a substantial impact for Man Utd during the 2023/24 campaign as he only made ten Premier League starts.
Despite this, Man Utd were still heavily linked with him in the summer as they scoured the market for an alternative to Manuel Ugarte, who ended up joining the club anyway for around £42m plus add-ons.
With another season at Old Trafford off the table, Amrabat joined Turkish giants Fenerbahce on loan to link up with former Man Utd pair Jose Mourinho and Fred.
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Amrabat will come up against Man Utd on Thursday night as Fenerbahce host the Premier League giants in the Europa League group stages.
Speaking during his pre-match press conference, Ten Hag revealed he’s relishing facing Mourinho, as he is a “winner” and an “an example for many managers”.
“It’s a big game for both of us,” Ten Hag said.
“I really enjoy facing him and playing against him. He has always good teams, he is a winner – he (has) won so many trophies – I think he is an example for many, many managers.”
He added: “It is football, you have to live for now. (What happened) is in the past, you have to prove (yourself) every day, you have to prove yourself every season so we have to go for it.
“We are in the start of the season and we will see where we end but our target is to win a trophy again.”
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Amrabat has also spoken before Thursday night’s game. He claims Ten Hag “wanted to keep” him in the summer, but he’s intimated that technical director Jason Wilcox blocked this deal from happening.
“I have a special relationship with Ten Hag since I was a 20-year-old at Utrecht,” Amrabat said before Man Utd’s match against Fenerbahce.
“He wanted to keep me this summer so I wish him the best but not for Thursday. I hope they lose.”
When asked why he did not make his Man Utd move permanent, Amrabat added: “The only thing that I want to say is that you have to ask Mr Wilcox.”
