Manchester United did not shy away from splashing even more cash in the summer, signing the likes of Rasmus Højlund, Mason Mount and Andre Onana in the hopes they would significantly improve a squad in need of some fresh blood – the Red Devils spending an estimated £183.5m on new faces per Sky Sports.
All three signings have not exactly hit the ground running, the weight of expectation too much especially for Onana who has already had blunder reels made of him so early into his Red Devils career.
The Cameroonian goalkeeper did redeem himself last time out against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League however, saving a spot-kick at the death to give Man United their first group stage win by a narrow 1-0 scoreline.
Man United supporters will hope that another of their summer signings can come good in the form of Sofyan Amrabat, who has experienced a rocky start to life in Manchester after joining the club on a loan basis from Fiorentina.
At this moment in time, the loan switch looks unlikely to be extended to a permanent deal with the Moroccan dubbed a “fish out of water” by ex-Premier League striker and football pundit Chris Sutton after his recent poor displays.
Operating as both a full-back and central midfielder this campaign for Man United after leaving Serie A behind on a temporary basis, the 27-year-old dud has arguably looked out of his depth in England – certainly in Sutton’s eyes.
The Crystal Palace home defeat saw Amrabat’s personal performance put under the microscope for criticism, alongside his team’s collective effort – the Red Devils dominated the possession on the day with 78% of the ball, but ultimately came unstuck in a demoralising 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford.
Amrabat would lose possession a dire 20 times in this contest, playing in an unfamiliar full-back position. He would have a torrid time all afternoon coming up against Jordan Ayew, an individual display that saw Chris Sutton deliver a scathing verdict of the ex-Feyenoord man.
Sutton, when speaking on BBC Radio Five Live, tore into Amrabat’s display directly after the match: “He’s not looked comfortable in that left back position today, like a fish out of water.”
The Fiorentina loanee has impressed since – earning a commendable 7.5 Sofascore rating in Man United’s 2-1 win over Brentford – but his signing could go down as a failure – similar to that of Wout Weghorst’s loan to the Theatre of Dreams last campaign.
After arriving on loan from Burnley, the experienced number nine scored just two goals and provided three assists in 31 appearances in all competitions.
He also failed to score a single goal in ten Premier League starts for the Red Devils, and missed three ‘big chances’, as the towering dud was unable to provide real quality in the final third.
Amrabat is now at risk of falling into the same category as Weghorst in terms of a loan player who is unable to make a consistently positive impact on the pitch, which could make him the manager’s worst signing since bringing the Dutchman in.
It will be interesting to see what team Erik Ten Hag goes for ahead of the Manchester Derby on Sunday, with another loanee in Sergio Reguilon far more impressive recently than Amrabat.
Substituted off at half-time versus FC Copenhagen – losing possession five times in total from this 45 minute spell per Sofascore – the 6 foot 1 battler could be sweating about his immediate future in the starting line-up ahead of the Man City clash
