84 touches, 63 passes, 4 duels won: United star was brilliant against Arsenal, his best performance so far
Manchester United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat produced his best performance of the season during the 1-0 Premier League defeat to Arsenal on Sunday evening.
The Morocco international signed for the Red Devils on loan from Fiorentina last summer, and it was anticipated that he could compete with Casemiro for places.
The 27-year-old was initially played out of position at left-back by manager Erik ten Hag and he has since hardly started games for the Red Devils in any competition.
Against the Gunners, Amrabat got a surprise nod amid the ongoing injury crisis. The midfielder proved his worth with a solid all-round performance over 87 minutes.
The former Club Brugge man had 84 touches while completing an impressive 63 out of his 71 passes – an accuracy of 89 per cent.
He also won four ground duels and two tackles. His presence in the number six position ensured that Kobbie Mainoo could operate higher up the field for United.
Amrabat joined the club with a big reputation after a fantastic World Cup with Morocco. He was also instrumental towards Fiorentina’s strong end to last season.
However, things have not gone as planned for him at United. The board made a huge loan outlay of €10 million to sign him with an option to buy for an initial €20m.
He has played just 1,300 minutes so far under Ten Hag. Some fans may feel that he should have been handed more minutes with Casemiro no longer in his prime.
With just three games left before the campaign ends, it seems unlikely that United will exercise the option to purchase him permanently from Fiorentina this summer.
Amrabat is still expected to attract plenty of interest. Juventus are one of the front-runners to sign him while AC Milan have also been fancied to make an approach.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com