Erik ten Hag, the former Manchester United manager, says he wanted to keep Sofyan Amrabat, now at Ajax Amsterdam. According to him, the club’s hierarchy refused to trigger the purchase option for the Moroccan midfielder in summer 2024. He also believes the club should have kept Scott McTominay.
In an interview with Laurie Whitwell for The Athletic, published on Wednesday 21 October 2026, Erik ten Hag revealed that he wanted to keep Sofyan Amrabat at Manchester United. According to Mountakhab.net, the former Red Devils manager claims the hierarchy refused to trigger the purchase option for the Moroccan midfielder in summer 2024.
“I wanted to keep Sofyan Amrabat, but they didn’t want him. I think he did an excellent job at Manchester United,” the Dutch coach told The Athletic.
A standout 2023-2024 season
Loaned from Fiorentina, Amrabat played 30 matches in the Manchester shirt during the 2023-2024 season, Morocco World News recalls. Notably, on Ten Hag’s decision, he started in place of Casemiro in the FA Cup final, won 2-1 against Manchester City in May 2024.
In total, the Moroccan midfielder racked up 80 matches under Ten Hag during his career, including at Utrecht and Manchester United, according to Ajax Amsterdam. Despite that, the Manchester hierarchy did not follow their coach’s wishes, by his own account.
The Ugarte choice questioned
Ten Hag believes the club should have kept Scott McTominay and held on to Amrabat rather than spending on Manuel Ugarte, The Athletic reports. His comments therefore bear directly on Manchester United’s recruitment decisions.
The coach, now speaking as a former manager, thus offers his personal reading of events.
Amrabat bounces back at Ajax
Sofyan Amrabat subsequently moved to Fenerbahçe and then Real Betis, where he averaged 6.8 balls recovered per 90 minutes, according to Ajax Amsterdam. In summer 2026, he signed for Ajax Amsterdam on a free transfer, according to Le360 Sport.
The Moroccan midfielder now plays the coming Eredivisie and European Cup matchdays with the Dutch club.
Ajax: Amrabat’s fresh start
At Ajax, the Moroccan international is once again a regular in midfield, featuring in both domestic and European fixtures as the Dutch side look to climb the Eredivisie table.