There’s no two ways about it: Manchester United were embarrassed by Manchester City on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium, with the hosts having 27 shots at goal to United's three.
Despite taking an early lead via a Marcus Rashford goal-of-the-season contender, Erik ten Hag’s side struggled massively, with a 3-1 score line flattering the Red Devils.
The gap between the two clubs in terms of quality seems to be increasing, with that latest match highlighting that United are so far behind those at the top.
Nonetheless, there was one player who found it difficult, in particular, at the weekend, and unfortunately, that’s been the case all season.
Sofyan Amrabat’s performance against Man City
After putting in one of his best performances against Nottingham Forest in the week, Sofyan Amrabat dropped to the bench against Man City on Sunday.
The Moroccan did get his chance in the final 15 minutes, however, as he replaced Kobbie Mainoo in the 82nd minute. However, his performance was far from inspiring.
Despite playing just 16 minutes, Amrabat had an afternoon to forget, completing three of his four passes, losing all three of his duels, and ultimately losing the ball, which led to Erling Haaland’s late goal.
The Manchester Evening News handed the loanee a 3/10 match rating, but how has the 27-year-old performed over the course of the campaign?
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Amrabat joined the Red Devils in the summer on a season-long loan with an option to buy from Fiorentina, with just the loan costing the club £8.5m.
The defensive midfielder made his first start for the club in the 3-0 EFL Cup win over Crystal Palace in September, but just four days later, he was described as a “fish out of water” by Chris Sutton for his performance at left-back against the Eagles in the Premier League.
The Morocco star has been used sparingly this season by Ten Hag, making just 13 appearances in the league, with seven of those being starts.
Amrabat has faced plenty of criticism this season for his performances, and that latest showing against City seems to have been the final nail in the coffin for plenty of the United faithful.
The Athletic’s Carl Anka even said that he’s “worse than Fred” on the Talk Of The Devils podcast, who was known to be a frustrating, polarising player over his spell at Old Trafford.
Touches
20
47
Passes completed (Accuracy)
10 (83%)
32 (91%)
Possession lost
2
4
Duels won
3
6
Tackles
2
3
Furthermore, the table above showcases Fred’s stats from last season's 2-1 home victory over Man City alongside Amrabat’s stats from the Manchester derby at Old Trafford this season, and it certainly supports Anka’s claim, with the Brazilian being far more effective in the side than the Fiorentina ace.
Fred – who left for Fenerbahce over the summer – had actually enjoyed a relatively fruitful season under Ten Hag in 2022/23 after scoring six goals and contributing six assists in all competitions, having since also recorded a further six assists following his move to Turkey.
Overall, the signing of Amrabat – who, by contrast, has no goals or assists to his name so far this term – has been an undoubted disaster, with the player failing to live up to the standards he once showed.