Manchester United‘s search for midfielders continues as the Red Devils look to bring stability into the team. Over the years, the club hasn’t had a stable midfield and failed to play their best game consistently. In the summer of 2023, Erik ten Hag recruited a couple of players including the loan signing of Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina. The Morrocon was a hot prospect after his performances in the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Amrabat came on loan to Manchester and is slowly making his place in the starting 11. An injury-hit midfield is short of options and Amrabat is playing almost every game these days. Sofyan Amrabat’s future at the club is unsure but he has given some great performances in the middle of the park. Here are Amrabat’s stats that show how he has aided the midfield of one of the most successful clubs in England.
Guarding the defence
Manchester United’s unstable defence has led to poor results over the years. Against the big teams, the Red Devils tend to struggle. They signed Casemiro to solve this problem. However, injuries have restricted his playing time and the Brazilian hasn’t been at the top of his game.
Sofyan Amrabat is also a defensive midfielder and has spent 1,037 minutes on the field combined in the UEFA Champions League and the English Premier League. Erik ten Hag has mostly used him on the left side.
Sofyan Amrabat’s primary duty is to shield the defence and win the ball for his team. In the current season, he has won 60.6% of his defensive duels. He is strong in winning challenges on the ground but has struggled a bit in the air. Other than this, the midfielder marked 4.43 interceptions per 90 minutes. One area where the Moroccan has struggled is discipline on the ground. He gives away 1.5 fouls per 90 minutes.
One area where Amrabat has impressed the most is in winning duels in the attacking areas. Sofyan Amrabat makes nearly 9.8 recoveries per 90 minutes and 41.6% of these have been made in the attacking areas. Most of these have been counter-pressing, while some have been dangerous recoveries.
Ball distribution
The Moroccan international knows how to keep hold of the ball and distribute it to forward players. Amrabat attempts 49 passes per 90 minutes and accurately delivers 88% of these passes. These include 5.9 passes to the final third, with a decent accuracy rate of 81%. The above progressive pass map shows that Amrabat has attempted quite a few long diagonals to change the direction of the attack.
Overall, Amrabat’s loan spell has turned out to be decent. He has found his rhythm in the last few matches. Manchester United are still unsure whether to sign him or not in the summer. They might look for other options once the takeover is complete.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
