Man Utd tell transfer flop he is leaving

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 17 Mar 2024 16:09 GMT
• 3 min read

Man Utd have told Sofyan Amrabat that they will not be signing him permanently at the end of the season.

That is according to Gazzetta dello Sport, who report that only a sensational improvement in performances in the last two months of the season can save Amrabat’s United career.

United paid €9 million last summer to sign Amrabat on loan for the season from Fiorentina.

READ MORE: Latest Man Utd transfer news

The Red Devils have the option to make the deal permanent for €25m at the end of the campaign.

However, United have opted against activating that option as the 27-year-old performed very badly.

After recovering from injury upon joining Man Utd, Amrabat struggled to get going.

READ MORE: Latest Man Utd transfer rumours

Initially he was played out of position at left-back by Erik ten Hag amidst an injury crisis in the position.

Amrabat was especially poor in this role in the 3-2 home defeat by Galatasaray in the Champions League.

But the Moroccan has since also laboured since being moved to his preferred position at central midfield.

He has now fallen well down the pecking order, although Amrabat has still occasionally used him at left-back.

The Moroccan established himself as one of Europe’s most admired central midfielders at Fiorentina last season, with Barcelona and Chelsea also trying to sign him during the January transfer window of 2023.

Amrabat at Fiorentina in 2022-23

Amrabat enjoyed a brilliant 2022-23 season, playing a pivotal role in Fiorentina reaching two cup finals; the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Amrabat was arguably the best midfielder at World Cup 2022, playing a crucial role for a Morocco team that stunned everyone in reaching the quarter-finals

The 27-year-old produced a series of dominant performances in the centre of midfield as Morocco knocked out Belgium from the group stages, and then Spain in the last-16 and Portugal in the quarter-finals.

Morocco were finally beaten in the semis by France, before losing the third and fourth place playoff to Croatia.

Amrabat has been unable to replicate those performances at United.

Gazzetta adds that he would prefer to return to Italy this summer, with Juventus and Milan both linked.