Sofyan Amrabat revealed why he had to leave Manchester United despite having a "special relationship" with Erik ten Hag.
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Amrabat joined on loan from FiorentinaUnited chose not to make it a permanent transferTalked about his relationship with Ten HagFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The Moroccan midfielder was loaned to United from Fiorentina last September. The deal, worth £8.5 million ($10.9 million), included an option for United to secure Amrabat’s services permanently for €20 million (£17/$21.5m), plus an additional €5 million (£4.23m/$5.37m) in add-ons.
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Although Ten Hag was keen to keep Amrabat in his squad permanently, the Manchester United hierarchy opted for a different path. Instead of activating the option to buy Amrabat, the club chose to pursue Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain for £51 million.
WHAT AMRABAT SAID
In an interview with Amrabat revealed that despite Ten Hag's desire to hold on to him, the club’s new technical director, Jason Wilcox, chose to opt for a different transfer strategy which led to his departure from Old Trafford.
"I have a special relationship with Ten Hag since I was a 20-year-old at Utrecht," he said before facing the Red Devils in the Europa League. "He wanted to keep me this summer so I wish him the best but not for Thursday. I hope they lose."
When asked if he had more to share about his departure from Manchester United, Amrabat gave a cryptic response. “The only thing that I want to say is that you have to ask Mr. Wilcox,” he remarked.
AFPWHAT NEXT FOR AMRABAT & UNITED?
Amrabat’s exit, however, wasn’t without interest from other clubs. The midfielder revealed that four Premier League clubs were keen on acquiring his services before he eventually chose to join Fenerbahce. He has made a fine start to his life in Istanbul establishing himself as a key figure in Jose Mourinho's side. He played the full 90 minutes against his former side on Thursday and put in an impressive performance during the 1-1 draw.