Sofyan Amrabat’s impressive highlights from full Man Utd debut vs Crystal Palace

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·27 September 2023

Sofyan Amrabat’s impressive highlights from full Man Utd debut vs Crystal Palace

Highlights

Sofyan Amrabat impresses on his full Man Utd debut, showing his ability to control the game and contribute to the team's victory.
Amrabat displayed a strong passing range, making short passes and big switches of play, while also dropping into the left-back position when needed.
His composure and ability to battle against a strong opposition midfield were evident, although he did make a few minor mistakes. Amrabat's next matches will be crucial for Manchester United to turn their season around.

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Manchester United fans caught a glimpse of Sofyan Amrabat during the 1-0 Premier League win against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday evening, but supporters had to wait until Tuesday night's EFL Cup clash with Crystal Palace to see the Moroccan in full flow. Signed on deadline day in the summer transfer window on an initial loan deal, the 27-year-old had to wait to make his United debut for a number of weeks due to injury. He missed the defeats against Arsenal and Brighton in the league, as well as the 4-3 loss against Bayern Munich in the opening game of the Champions League season.

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The defensive midfielder was a key figure for Fiorentina in Italy for a number of years, and was vital during the 2022/23 campaign as the club reached the UEFA Europa Conference League final where they narrowly lost out to West Ham. His performance against Crystal Palace showed that he can be just as pivotal for Erik ten Hag during his season-long loan, and beyond that should the club exercise their buy option.

Sofyan Amrabat impresses on full Man Utd debut

Amrabat walked out in front of the Old Trafford faithful for the first time, and he certainly did not disappoint all the fans that had waited patiently to see their new signing in action. The midfielder is not necessarily flashy and eye catching as he goes about his work, but if close enough attention is paid, it can be seen that he controls the game brilliantly. Highlights of the Morocco international in the EFL Cup match against Roy Hodgson's side have appeared online, and they show just how good he was in his first start for the team. With no recognised left-back on the pitch for ten Hag's side, Amrabat was often tasked with dropping into this area with the license to drift inside into a more natural role.

His passing range was there for all to see with many short passes played, and a few big switches of play along the way also. Being smart enough to drop in between the centre-backs at times, the former Fiorentina man allowed Casemiro to have more freedom going for ward at points in the game, with the Brazilian going on to bag a goal and an assist during the 3-0 victory.

Stats via Sofascore

Whenever Crystal Palace threatened to break forward on the counter-attack, Amrabat was on hand to battle with a very strong and quick opposition midfield. Hitting row Z from a first-time shot on the edge of the area is about the only thing he did wrong during the entire game, as the new man showed a composure that many of his teammates have lacked so far this season.

What next for Amrabat and Manchester United?

A replay of the exact match Amrabat just played in is on the cards for Saturday afternoon, with Crystal Palace once again travelling to Old Trafford, this time in the Premier League. The Eagles will have a much stronger line-up next time round, meaning ten Hag will need to be wary of the threat they can cause. A CHampions League tie with Galatasaray - which sees former United and Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha return to Old Trafford - follows before Brentford also make the trip to Manchester for league action. It is a big week ahead for the Red Devils with three home matches in a row to get their season back on track if all goes to plan.