Moroccan star Sofyan Amrabat has joined Premier League giants Manchester United this summer. The player was a top target for quite a few European superpowers but chose the Old Trafford stadium as his new destination.
The Premier League has seen a midfield revolution this year. Top teams are seen to prioritize bolstering their midfield this summer. Chelsea and Arsenal have brought in a few of the costliest midfielders in the League’s history. Chelsea has recently brought in two $100 million rated midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. while Arsenal has brought Declan Rice who has cost them around $100 million.
Man United however went under the radar as they bought in Amrabat for a loan move from Fiorentina worth $10.77 million. The move although includes a buy option worth $21.5 million.
Sofyan Amrabat at Fiorentina ranked in the TOP 2% of CM in Europe for (per 90):
Progressive carrying distance (200 yards)
Pass accuracy (92%)
Passes (73)
Progressive passes (9.61)
Passes into final third (9.27)
Switches (1.54)One of the best Ball-Playing CMs in Europe. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/azfPTpEv4C
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) September 1, 2023
The Moroccan international is ranked among the top 2% of midfielders in the world. He has pretty incredible stats per 90 minutes. The player has a passing accuracy of 92%. He makes 73 passes per 90 minutes of which 9.61 are progressive. As a deep-lying playmaker, he passes 9.27 times into the final third and switches the ball 1.54 times.
When compared to the three $100 million midfielders in the Premier League, the 27-year-old makes 43.4 carries in the match which takes him to the second spot of the table just after Enzo Fernandez who makes 67.9 carries.
Defensively, Amrabat does not fare as well as the others in this table. Amrabat has 0.71 tackles won per 90 minutes and is thus in the last position when compared to the other three. In this segment, Caicedo tops the list with 1.44 tackles won, followed by Rice with 1.38 tackles won and Enzo with 1.11 tackles won.
Lastly, in terms of progressive passing, Amrabat stands second in the list of comparisons with Rice, Fernandez, and Caicedo. The new Manchester United signing has 6.39 progressive passing which is just lower than Fernandez’s 11.2 progressive passing per 90 minutes. Rice and Caicedo are at the bottom half of the table with 5.30 and 5.77 progressive passings respectively. This is one of the primary reasons Ten Hag is signing him so that the team can play out from the back.
Man United boss Erik Ten Hag would hope that the midfielder shines to the level everyone has anticipated. With the potential he has shown, Amrabat is expected to be one of the best midfielders in the League. But will he? Only time can answer this question.
Sofyan Amrabat called “the best player of the World Cup” by Mbappe’s countrymen
French President Emmanuel Macron called Moroccan star Sofyan Amrabat the “best player in the World Cup” in an interview after the semifinals of the tournament as the men in blue cruised to the finals for the second consecutive time. Amrabat had quite an incredible World Cup last winter. The Moroccan national team made history by reaching the semi-finals of the tournament for the first time.
The player became famous after his tackle on French striker Kylian Mbappe. It was in the semifinals of the biggest tournament in the sport. Both France and Morocco were looking for a spot in the finals of the tournament. The Blues were already winning 1-0 in the early stages of the match thanks to their left-back, Theo Hernandez. Mbappe tried to make it 2-0 but faced Amrabat with a fierce tackle.
Referring to the tackle, in an interview later, the midfielder said, “Everybody knows what a fantastic player he (Kylian Mbappe) is and how fast he is. And he was gone! It was 1-0 and I knew if they made it 2-0 the game was finished. We were so near the final. So, yes, I put everything I had into that sprint. That tackle was the only way to stop him. It was the perfect tackle. And then I heard the stadium roar. People were celebrating like it was a goal.”
Amrabat is a player. What a tackle pic.twitter.com/HU4Rj5oqg0
— Sean Kennedy (@s88kennedy) December 14, 2022
Following France’s victory in the semi-finals, the nation’s president, Emmanuel Macron, was asked about his thoughts on the match and who, for him, was the standout performer in the tournament. To this, Sir Macron replied, “I think for me it would be Amrabat for his incredible performance.”
The French national team then advanced to the finals, where they faced Lionel Messi’s Argentina. The finals were a nail-biter where both teams displayed soccer of the highest quality. The match went into the penalties thriller with a 3-3 draw in normal time. Argentina then went on to become the world champions after 36 years following a 4-2 win.
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