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Manchester United should have walked home with all three points from Istanbul but for some horrendous mistakes at the back which saw the team pegged back from a two-goal lead to eventually end up drawing 3-3 against Galatasaray.
Andre Onana was at fault for all three goals conceded on Wednesday with pressure on manager Erik ten Hag set to increase in the coming days.
United’s chances of progression hang by a thread and while the manager cannot be blamed for his keeper’s high-profile gaffes, his transfer record should certainly come under the scanner.
Amrabat continues to struggle
Onana’s signing has simply not worked and so has Sofyan Amrabat’s. The Moroccan was expected to replace Casemiro with the team heavily dependent on the Brazilian last season.
The Fiorentina man needed to step up with the former Real Madrid superstar’s form on the wane and his injury issues but Amrabat just does not look the part.
Whenever United tried to play out from the back, the 27-year-old was nowhere to be seen and the time he took to turn reminded fans why the manager gave up on trying to play Scott McTominay in that position.
In 58 minutes, he only had 27 touches, a rather poor metric that showed the game almost passed him by. His performance on the ball was a far cry from what Kobbie Mainoo produced on Sunday.
Amrabat managed 0 crosses, 0 key passes, 0 shots, 0 long balls, and no dribbles as he dropped too deep whenever the hosts counter-attacked (stats from Sofascore).
Mainoo needs to play ahead of Amrabat
Defensively, he won only 50% of his duels while managing 0 interceptions and 0 tackles. He made three clearances and was rightly hooked for the teenage sensation.
In his 32-minute cameo, the United academy graduate completed 100 percent of his passes while winning all his duels while generally looking far more comfortable on the ball.
Amrabat has struggled to show why Ten Hag plumped for him on loan in the summer and it does not look like United will make his move permanent next summer.
Ten Hag should go back to Mainoo for the all-important Premier League game against Newcastle United at the weekend.
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