Summary
The signing of Sofyan Amrabat is the right deal to do by Manchester United for a number of reasons according to Mark Goldbridge.
The 26-year-old enjoyed a strong World Cup campaign with Morocco last season and caught the eyes of a number of clubs.
How old is Sofyan Amrabat?
The 26-year-old, who has been hailed as an "absolute icon", really burst onto the scene during the last 12 months.
Despite the Moroccan midfielder really bursting onto the scene due to his impressive World Cup performances for Morocco, the 26-year-old was a consistent performer for Fiorentina during the 2022/23 season, recording an average rating on Whoscored rating of 6.49 across 42 games for both club and country in all competitions.
Amrabat was an integral part of the Italian side as they reached both the Coppa Italia final as well as the Conference League final, however La Viola lost out in both and missed out on the chance to secure their first piece of silverware since the 90s.
Despite the ultimate disappointments, Amrabat impressed and has drawn the attention from a number of top European sides regarding a potential move this summer, including the likes of Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
The Red Devils seem to be leading the race for the Moroccan International, with journalist Santi Aouna stating that United had made a verbal offer to sign the midfielder amid interest from Saudi Arabia.
Speaking on the United Stand YouTube channel, Goldbridge stated that he wanted the club to sign Amrabat as he offers good cover for Casemiro and will allow young Kobie Mainoo the opportunity to develop with less pressure: "I think that Amrabat to me is the right deal to do. I think if we had a lot more money we’d do a different deal but in the circumstances, it’s clearly a player that Ten Hag likes, and his qualities give us abilities that we don’t have in the sense that he’s more than capable of playing defensive midfield than anyone else, and we need that cover. And, with someone like Mainoo coming through, he’s not going to play week in week out at his age, so I think Amrabat coming in actually helps out someone like Mainoo because it means he can play and learn without the pressure of having to be the backup to Casemiro which might be a step too soon."
Who will Amrabat replace at Manchester United?
The club look set to lose a couple of midfielders this summer.
Scott McTominay came through the Red Devils academy but looks set to depart this summer, with current boss Erik ten Hag willing to offload the Scottish international this summer. The midfielder has attracted the interest of West Ham United, who are looking to replace their captain Declan Rice who they recently sold to Arsenal for £105m.
Donny Van de Beek could also depart Old Trafford this summer, with Dean Jones stating that the club could settle for a loan departure should no club come in with a permanent proposal for the former Ajax man. Reports have previously stated that the Dutch international was attracting interest from clubs in the Serie A, the Premier League, and the Eredivisie.
Brazilian midfielder Fred could also be sold this summer. Reports earlier in the window suggested that fellow Premier League side Fulham were leading the race for the 30-year-old, however, recently Turkish side Galatasaray have begun talks with Man United regarding a deal for the midfielder.
