One discarded Manchester United asset who says his manager wanted to keep him at Old Trafford has helped his country reach the last 16 of World Cup 2026
Sofyan Amrabat is set to star in the World Cup’s last 16 two years after Manchester United opted not to extend his loan at Old Trafford(Image: Pablo Garcia/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Two years on from his Manchester United stint and Sofyan Amrabat may still look back on his Old Trafford stint with a tinge of regret. However, he has plenty to feel content about, too, as he prepares to help Morocco in their last-16 quest at World Cup 2026.
The Atlas Lions are due to go up against Canada in Houston on Saturday as they look to become the first African nation to win a World Cup. Amrabat has featured in only one of Morocco’s four games at the competition thus far, playing the 90 minutes in a 4-2 win over Haiti during the group stage.
Erik ten Hag brought Amrabat to United on loan from Fiorentina, having previously worked together at Utrecht when the latter was still in his teens. And the Morocco anchor insisted Ten Hag in fact wanted to extend his United stay beyond his season-long loan from Florence.
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“I have a special relationship with Ten Hag since I was a 20-year-old at Utrecht,” he told the Daily Mail in 2024 after joining Fenerbache. Amrabat, 29, was speaking ahead of facing United in the Europa League at the time.
“He (Ten Hag) wanted to keep me this summer so I wish him the best but not for Thursday,” he added ahead of his reunion with his old team. “I hope they lose.”
They didn’t in the end as United drew 1-1 in Istanbul en route to reaching that season’s Europa League final. However, one can empathise with Amrabat’s position in feeling some sense of resentment over his brief stay in England.
Amrabat went on to give a hint as to whom may have been responsible for his United departure. When pressed further about his farewell, he said: “[You’ll] have to ask [United’s director of football] Mr. [Jason] Wilcox.”
Amrabat was part of the Man United team that beat City to lift the FA Cup in 2024(Image: Richard Callis/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
The midfielder, who spent last season on loan at Real Betis, helped Ten Hag win the FA Cup in his only campaign at the club. United beat Manchester City in a Wembley thriller, where he played the entirety of the match.
But the Premier League powerhouse decided not to convert his loan into a permanent move for the very affordable fee of £21million. Instead, they later paid Paris Saint-Germain £51m to recruit Manuel Ugarte, who is now seemingly not long for Old Trafford.
The only thing likely to keep Ugarte at United is the fact he recently suffered a serious knee injury while away at the World Cup. As if Uruguay’s group-stage exit wasn’t painful enough, Ugarte is now looking at a lengthy recovery process that could block any exit this summer.
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Meanwhile, Amrabat’s World Cup prospects are alive and well. Morocco recently defeated the Netherlands on penalties to set up a last-16 showdown with co-hosts Canada, having already drawn with Brazil earlier in the competition.
His role may not have been a prominent one but the midfield competition in Mohamed Ouahbi’s squad tells as to why. Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi is widely recognised as one of the elite young playmakers in the world and has developed a fierce partnership with Roma’s Neil El Aynaoui and Girona ace Azzedine Ounahi.
Victory over Canada would set up a likely quarter-final against France, which could prove a bridge too far for Morocco. However, this summer has already proved there’s life to be had after Old Trafford following Amrabat’s evolution in recent years.
