Amrabat is already showing signs he can play a crucial role for Ten Hag's side

Sofyan Amrabat has grown used to waiting this season: first for a move to Manchester United and then for his debut.

While United pursued their main summer targets and picked them off one by one – Mason Mount followed by Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund – Amrabat waited patiently in Italy and prepared for the new season with Fiorentina.

Possible moves away from Florence came and went, most notably a switch to Liverpool. Mail Sport revealed that it was hours away when a late hitch led to Jurgen Klopp signing Ryan Gravenberch instead.

United’s interest remained but the club had to shift players out before making their move for Amrabat after exhausting a tight budget with the £180million spent on Mount, Onana and Hojlund.

Eventually the Amrabat deal went through on deadline day at the start of this month after United agreed to pay Fiorentina £8.5million to loan the midfielder for the rest of the season with an option to buy him next summer for £21.4m.

‘After the last game with Fiorentina – the Europa Conference League final with West Ham – from that moment the window started for me,’ says Amrabat who was a standout player in Morocco’s fairytale run to the World Cup semi-finals in December.

‘There were a lot of clubs, a lot of speaking, talking, but for me it was clear I wanted Manchester United.

‘It was long, long months for me, very difficult months. But in the end it was nice on the last day that I signed here, and that I’m here is now the most important.’

Amrabat arrived with an injury which forced him to pull out of the Morocco squad. More waiting. He could only watch from the sidelines as his new team suffered three defeats in a row at the hands of Arsenal, Brighton and Bayern Munich.

The 27-year-old’s patience finally paid off