Man Utd legend Ferdinand gives verdict on MAJOR Amrabat concern
Tom Weber
- Updated: 2 Sept 2023 15:35 BST
- 4 min read
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has given his thoughts on Deadline Day recruit Sofyan Amrabat.
The Red Devils spent the entire summer chasing the Moroccan star and their pursuit culminated in a happy end after all. It appeared unlikely that Erik ten Hag would be reunited with his former Utrecht protégé given United's inability to offload all of their deadwood which left them short on funds, but Fiorentina made a U-turn that changed everything.
In a bid to get the wantaway midfielder off the books, the Serie A club decided that a loan would be an acceptable solution, which finally enabled United to make an official move after already getting the player's green light all the way back in June.
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Ten Hag finally has his man, but there are some concerns about how the 27-year-old will adapt to the Premier League. Though he already showed that he is capable of going up against the planet's best at the 2022 World Cup, the demands of the Premier League are different to those of Serie A, especially in a position as important as defensive midfield.
Moreover, Amrabat picked up 16 bookings last season, so there are questions about his discipline - but Rio Ferdinand believes that there is no reason to worry.
What did Ferdinand say?
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand said: "I managed to see him live at the World Cup two or three times and I think he was very good, even against France," the 44-year-old said. "Defensively he’ll give us great cover for someone like Casemiro if he gets suspended or needs resting."
"He's a skilled six, deep player, that's his role," Ferdinand continued. "We've had players like Fred, [Scott] McTominay - no disrespect, they wanted to do well - but I've always said when you look at their player ID, there was never defensive nous in their kit. This guy has that, that's his game."
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"All players need to adapt and if he can do that quickly I think he’ll be fine. The game is quicker than Serie A, definitely. He’s an international footballer who played well on the international scene so hopefully he’s got the common sense and concentration to be able to make sure he’s right."
“I think someone like Casemiro, with his experience of last year missing a few games because of his ill-discipline here and there and maybe naivety towards the league, might be able to give him a point in the right direction."
