Hakim Ziyech played a major role in halting Manchester United’s Champions League ambitions on Wednesday night.
The Galatasaray winger scored twice in the 3-3 draw in Istanbul, owing to more goalkeeping blunders from Andre Onana. The Moroccan is currently on loan in Turkey having fallen down the pecking order at Chelsea, where he appears to have no long-term future.
Ziyech was signed with a big reputation having excelled at Ajax but the 30-year-old secured a temporary exit in the summer having been unable to nail down a permanent spot at Stamford Bridge. And he confessed before even joining the Blues that he wanted to move to their London rivals.
Several years ago Zieych was asked which club he’d like to represent in the future. He responded: “Well, I have two clubs. They are Arsenal and Barcelona. That is my ultimate dream.”
Arsenal were keen on the winger when his stock was at its peak before Chelsea made their move. It was Frank Lampard who signed the Moroccan, completing the deal mid-season before the player joined them in the summer. He produced quality moments in patches, but as managers continued to change he failed to enjoy consistent game time.
And amid a lack of opportunities, Ziyech grew increasingly frustrated that he couldn’t secure a move elsewhere. A switch to PSG was on the cards back in January. But despite the winger passing his medical, Ligue 1 bosses were unwilling to green light the transfer following the late submission of documents.
Months later a move to Saudi Arabia, where several unwanted Chelsea players were heading, also failed to materialise before Galatasaray eventually sealed a move.
Ziyech’s future is likely to be up in the air again this summer unless the Turkish outfit make a permanent move. Arsenal and Real appear very unlikely options now though.
Hakim Ziyech was a huge success during his Ajax days and had several of Europe’s heavyweights keeping tabs on him
Hakim Ziyech was a huge success during his Ajax days and had several of Europe’s heavyweights keeping tabs on him
It was United boss Erik ten Hag who helped Ziyech grab Europe’s attention when Ajax began making waves in the Champions League. The Dutch manager was on the receiving end of the player’s quality on Wednesday night and said: “That is Hakim. His brilliance, I know that. In such zones he is extraordinary. Giving such free-kicks [to him] is very difficult to defend.”
Ziyech, in what would be deemed his best year, helped Ajax reach the last four of the Champions League. The 30-year-old scored 22 times during the 2018/19 season – by far his best campaign in front of goal. He scored twice against Real Madrid and against Tottenham before Ajax went out of Europe in dramatic fashion.
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