Former Manchester United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat has suggested Erik ten Hag was overruled when it came to keeping him at Old Trafford this summer.
The Morocco international spent last season on loan at Man Utd, but he didn’t end up extending his stay there or joining permanently, instead moving to current club Fenerbahce, also on loan.
Amrabat didn’t have the most positive impact at United in his brief time at the club, but he arguably started to show his potential with some improved performances towards the end of last season.
Still, speaking about it now as Fenerbahce prepare to take on United in the Europa League this evening, Amrabat has suggested it was not Ten Hag’s fault that he didn’t stay in Manchester.
It seems Amrabat is strongly hinting that the manager would’ve ideally liked to keep him, but key figures in the club’s board must have overruled him, with Manuel Ugarte signed from Paris Saint-Germain to fill that position instead.
Sofyan Amrabat transfer claim and what it says about Manchester United
While it’s not always clear how much control managers have over signings, and this can vary from club to club, it seems Amrabat has suggested Ten Hag no longer has the final say over these kinds of deals.
Indeed, the 28-year-old even suggested Jason Wilcox was the main man responsible for him moving on.
“I have a special relationship with Ten Hag since I was a 20-year-old at Utrecht,” Amrabat told the Daily Mail.
“He wanted to keep me this summer so I wish him the best but not for Thursday. I hope they lose.
When asked again about the reason for his exit, he added: “The only thing that I want to say is that you have to ask Mr Wilcox.”
It will be interesting to see if anything else comes out on this as it may point towards Wilcox and Ten Hag not necessarily having the best relationship or agreeing on key decisions being made about the squad.
