Sofyan Amrabat has indicated that he could yet stay at Manchester United this summer.
The Moroccan midfielder has endured a difficult season-long loan spell at Old Trafford from Serie A side Fiorentina, starting only 10 matches in the Premier League and limited to a lot of substitute cameos under Erik ten Hag.
However, Amrabat’s influence grew as he showed signs of improvement during the final stages of the season, starting the last three Premier League matches and also Saturday’s surprise 2-1 victory over champions Manchester City in a memorable FA Cup final triumph at Wembley that guaranteed Europa League qualification for next term.
The 27-year-old has spent time this season deployed as an emergency left-back during United’s well-documented injury crisis that has seen them without England starter Luke Shaw for large portions of the season.
Amrabat’s previous struggles to convince during a season that resulted in an eighth-place Premier League finish - their worst league position for 34 years - had led many to believe that there was very little chance of United exercising their €25million (£21m) option to sign him on a permanent basis this summer, having already spent €10m (£8m) on the initial loan deal.
However, his recent resurgence appears to have changed the mind of many fans, while Amrabat - otherwise under contract with back-to-back Europa Conference League finalists Fiorentina until next summer - himself has now admitted that he could still have a future at Old Trafford.
"Do I already know what I’m going to do next year? No. We are going to talk," he told Dutch outlet Ziggo Sport.
"Staying is certainly an option. Look, I think it has been a very difficult season. For Manchester United it needs to be much better, and also for me personally."
Amrabat’s position could yet depend on how United’s managerial situation plays out in the days and weeks ahead.
Ten Hag’s Old Trafford future after months of intense speculation is expected to be decided this week during an end-of-season review, with United now said to be considering him potentially staying but having also sounded out the representatives of the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Frank, Kieran McKenna and Thomas Tuchel amid fresh links to ex-Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi, who appears to have missed out to Leicester’s Enzo Maresca in the race to succeed Pochettino at Chelsea.
United have confirmed their first summer deal with the permanent sale of Spanish defender Alvaro Fernandez, who has joined Benfica for £5.1m after the Portuguese giants activated their option to turn his productive half-season loan arrangement at the Estadio da Luz into a full-time transfer.
United, with co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos now in control of football operations, are expected to embark upon a comprehensive overhaul of their squad this summer after their lowest league finish since 1989/90, with the expectation that they are willing to listen to offers for the majority of their first-team squad, bar the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund.
