Manchester United have a three-name midfield shortlist as replacements for Sofyan Amrabat
Manchester United have identified Adrien Rabiot, Youssouf Fofana and Joao Neves as the three-name shortlist as they look to cover for the loss of Sofyan Amrabat, according to journalist Rudy Galetti (h/t Manchester Evening News)
The Red Devils brought in Amrabat on a season-long loan from Fiorentina, expecting him to replicate his Qatar 2022 form at Old Trafford. The emergence of Kobbie Mainoo coupled with injury and form issues to the Moroccan has seen him largely sidelined for the majority of the season.
Right now, it seems unlikely that the Red Devils will make the Amrabat signing permanent, come the end of the season. However, they do need reinforcement in defensive midfielder and have thus started looking out for options.
The main reason why Man Utd need an upgrade is due to the indifferent form of Casemiro. The once imperious Real Madrid midfield presence has looked a pace off it in the Premier League this season, with his legs no longer lasting the 90 minutes as they did.
Barring a crunching tackle here and a smart interception there, there are few and far to appreciate about Casemiro’s game at this point of his career. In a less intense league, the Brazilian can still do a decent job as the holding midfielder but no longer at Man Utd.
Among the names that have been linked with the club, the most promising one is undoubtedly Joao Neves. Widely regarded as the next big thing coming out of Portugal, competition for his signature might be really difficult and we might also not have Champions League football to offer.
Adrien Rabiot is much more older but as they say, with age comes experience. Having spent almost the entirety of his career at PSG and Juventus, the Frenchman knows what it takes to play for a big club and will certainly be a good fit in the system.
The most interesting one on the list is Fofana. French, like Rabiot, the midfielder has impressed with performances recently. More industrious than technical, he would offer a very different dynamic to the Red Devils midfield.
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Before making transfer targets, Man Utd need to first sort out the future of Erik ten Hag. Still seemingly hanging in the balance, the sooner the Red Devils make the call on whether to ‘stick or twist’, the better it is for them in terms of succession planning. Let’s wait and see how it goes.
