Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s injury in Man United’s loss to Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday has worsened the team’s injury crisis.
On Monday, Manchester United announced that right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka will require time off after suffering an injury against Brighton, adding to the team’s injury list.
Due to a sickness he had been dealing with in the days leading up to the match, Wan-Bissaka did not start the match. With left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia already out, the 25-year-old is the third United full-back to be on the Carrington treatment table. On the final day of the transfer window, Sergio Reguilon was added as United’s problems grew worse.
On the final day of the transfer window, midfielder Sofyan Amrabat from Serie A club Fiorentina joined Erik ten Hag’s squad on loan. Amrabat, who also sustained an injury, left the Moroccan national team before the end of the most recent international break. However, the predicted length of his absence is short.
Before the defeat to Brighton, Ten Hag said Amrabat is a versatile player on the team. What we lacked in our squad, he claimed, was a traditional holding midfielder to play behind Casemiro. Amrabat, who is also competent in a higher position, can play alongside Casemiro. He is capable of playing as a full-back or wing-back.
Amrabat might play with Casemiro since in the past, Ten Hag wasn’t hesitant to use two holding midfielders. Ten Hag’s opinion that the Moroccan may serve as a temporary right-back shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the unexpected increase in popularity of the inverted full-back position because the Moroccan is at ease in possession.
When in control, Pep Guardiola frequently asks one of his full-backs to support the midfield; in recent seasons, players like Rico Lewis, Kyle Walker, and Joao Cancelo have all occasionally filled a central position.
In Arsenal’s victory over Crystal Palace earlier this season, Mikel Arteta, a former assistant to Guardiola, began Thomas Partey at right-back even though the Ghanaian spent the majority of the match more in the middle of the field. In a same manner, Ten Hag has employed his full-backs, with Shaw, Malacia, Diogo Dalot, and even Wan-Bissaka occasionally assuming a center position.
Amrabat certainly appreciates the pressure of competing on the grandest of stages as he was a crucial component of Fiorentina’s march to the Europa Conference League final last season and was also one of the standout players at the 2022 World Cup.
The 27-year-old, who previously collaborated with Ten Hag at FC Utrecht, has the personality necessary to succeed at a team like United, and his versatility may be exactly what Ten Hag needs right now.
