The 2023/24 season has started with two home wins, two away defeats and a host of negative headlines at Old Trafford. If the focus is shifted to the on-field issues, the biggest area of concern is the cover from midfield in front of the back line. Manchester United have been too easy to play against, but Sofyan Amrabat may address this issue.
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Erik ten Hag Waited Until Deadline Day to Secure Most Important Transfer
Watch: What Sofyan Amrabat brings to Old Trafford
Problems in the Middle
It is clear to anyone who has watched the team this season that there has been a lack of control in midfield in each of the opening four Premier League fixtures. Wolves, who many have tipped to be in a relegation fight this season, outplayed the Red Devils for almost the entire game with the likes of Matheus Nunes and Matheus Cunha running riot at times on Monday Night Football in the season opener.
The first choice three midfield players are all exceptional in their own right and all possess different qualities. Casemiro, Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes have played at the highest level and performed on the biggest stages. However, between them, they are missing a couple of key qualities that have been exposed by their opponents thus far.
Casemiro is excellent at breaking up play and has attacking qualities, chipping in with goals and moving forward when the opportunity presents itself. England international Mason Mount is a creative spark, strong at set-pieces and has impressive goals and assists numbers throughout his short career. Club captain Fernandes has a strong work rate and is one of the best players from his position in an attacking sense.
The missing link is someone to sit in and dictate play. Defensively, the current options can be exposed and with problems further up the pitch regarding hold-up play the balance of the entire team has left Ten Hag’s side vulnerable, particularly away from home.
United Legend Ferdinand Believes New Signing Will Solve Defensive Midfield Issue
On an episode of Rio Ferdinand Present Five, the Premier League great was impressed by United’s signing of Amrabat from Fiorentina. Speaking about the 27-year-old he said:
“I watched him closely at the World Cup. I managed to see him live, I think two or three times even against France. He was very, very good as well. I think defensively he will give us that great cover from someone like Casemiro if he ends up missing games or needs resting or anything like that.”
“I think he is a great kind of person to come in at times. We’re going to need to play two sixes, two pivots at times, and I think he’ll be someone who can come in and that’s what he’s there to do.”
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Ferdinand went on to pinpoint the new signing’s key attributes:
“You look at his stat sheet, he doesn’t score goals. He’s not a creator, he is an enforcer. He stops other teams from playing. He’s very cute in his positional sense and he’s very disciplined. And those are the traits that you need as a defensive midfielder.”
Amrabat’s Key Attributes are Currently Lacking in United’s Midfield
Sofyan Amrabat, joins Manchester United to enhance their final third accuracy.
With his remarkable stats of passes into the final third, he's set to elevate their game.
After their recent struggle with 64% final third passes accuracy against Arsenal,Let's see his impact 🇲🇦#MUFC pic.twitter.com/EPF0MdlQaF— MoroccanGrinta (@MoroccanGrinta) September 3, 2023
The 27-year-old showcased his incredible passing range in Serie A last season. Taking into account all midfielders with over 15 appearances, Amrabat ranked 9th for the most accurate short passes per game with 45.6 per whoscored. This statistic is impressive because five of the players above him in these rankings were at top clubs who dominate possession. His qualities are further highlighted by topping the chart of all midfielders with 5.3 accurate long balls per game, significantly clear of any other player.
The stats are further backed up by those who have watched him. Fiorentina reached the Europa Conference League and Italian Cup final, while Morocco finished 4th at the 2022 World Cup. If neither of these teams had their enforcer in midfield, they would likely have been significantly worse off. The defensive midfielder is exceptionally cool on the ball and is comfortable sitting in while the players in front of him chip in with goals and assists.
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His tackling stats further highlight his comfortable nature sitting in front of the back four. While his total tackles per game numbers are quite low, he was only dribbled past on average 0.5 times per game across 24 league appearances in Serie A. Only two midfielders with more than 15 appearances in Italy could boast a better number. This is what Ferdinand highlighted when he used the word discipline.
Solid Midfield Sets the Foundation for the Remainder of the Season
There are problems up front and injuries to deal with in the back four but United’s signing of Amrabat means the engine room looks almost complete. It has been a tough start to the season, but this new addition should provide a greater balance of defence and attack.
It should be expected that there will be more control in games away from Old Trafford in the coming weeks. It is one last problem for the manager to worry about. This should turn out to be a shrewd move by the club. The Red Devils may have found their answer with their deadline day signing.
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