Manchester United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat did not feature for Morocco over the international break after missing matches against Ivory Coast and then Liberia due to injury
Sofyan Amrabat did not feature for Morocco over the international break
Manchester United will be sweating over the fitness of Sofyan Amrabat after the midfielder was forced to miss Morocco’s final Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old was left out of the Morocco squad for their 1-1 draw with Ivory Coast on Saturday and did not recover in time to play against Liberia three days later. The Atlas Lions ended up winning the latter 3-0 thanks to goals from Amine Harit, Ayoub El Kaabi and Amine Adli.
However, according to Al Ayam, Amrabat missed out on Tuesday’s victory over Liberia because of an unspecified injury. Speaking over the weekend, Morocco boss Walid Regragui said: “We will not hide behind absences, because we knew about Amrabat’s absence before the start of the camp.”
“Amrabat can get injured at some point. We must find a solution and alternative, and we have players capable of filling the void that Sofyan will leave.” Morocco managed to win without Amrabat on Tuesday as Harit, Oussama El Azzouzi and Azzedine Ounahi started in the midfield three.
This isn’t the first time Amrabat has pulled out of a Morocco squad, however. He dropped out of last month’s camp having travelled with a slight back problem which United picked up during his medical.
Amrabat joined the Red Devils on loan from Fiorentina on deadline day, with Erik ten Hag’s side paying £8million to take the midfielder for the remainder of the campaign. They also have an option to make the transfer permanent next summer for £21m.
He has made five appearances during his time at Old Trafford, with most of those coming at left-back. However, Amrabat did start in a double-pivot alongside Casemiro for United’s 2-1 win over Brentford just before the international break as Hannibal Mejbri dropped to the bench.
Sofyan Amrabat missed Morocco’s 3-0 win over Liberia on Tuesday (
Image:
Getty Images)
Having shone during United’s 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Crystal Palace last month, Ten Hag praised Amrabat’s versatility and outlined that it was one of the reasons they signed him. “Sofyan is a player who, where the team needs him he will play,” said Ten Hag.
“It’s one of the reasons we signed him. Every player has his best position, but he gives a certain dynamic in the game. We just started, and the process was a little bit interrupted by the many injuries we had. You see with Mason [Mount], Amrabat - they can contribute to the game and they will do.”
Ten Hag will be hoping Amrabat can recover in time to be fit and available for their trip to Sheffield United on Saturday, as the Red Devils look to make it back-to-back victories in the Premier League. United currently sit 10th in the top-flight table, having picked up 12 points from a possible 24.
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