One of Manchester United's worst ever signings has reached a new low with summer exit inevitable

It was Erik ten Hag's wish last summer to add another number six to his Manchester United squad. Instead, he has ended up at sixes and sevens.

United's midfield was always going to suffer without the injured duo of Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes for the trip to face Crystal Palace, issues that were amplified by Casemiro's repurposed role in central defence. Yet, even amid an ongoing injury crisis, Sofyan Amrabat was only on the bench on Monday night. It was the most damning moment yet of a torrid loan spell.

Ten Hag vouched for the signing of the Moroccan last summer and if the club's finances hadn't have been so tight then they most likely would have signed him on a permanent deal, rather than a loan. Even then, United paid an £8.6million loan fee to Fiorentina and have an option to make the deal permanent for £17.1m, plus £4.2m in add-ons.

Amrabat will go down in history as one of the very worst signings in the club's history, an accolade he is only spared by the fact his arrival was a loan deal and that there are other more notable contenders in the United squad. Antony, taken off in the Selhurst Park smashing, leads the way with his £86 million transfer fee, a player who is an embodiment of the poor recruitment under Ten Hag. Though Amrabat is another prime example.

Much of his hype was built around a stupendous sliding tackle against Kylian Mbappe in the 2022 World Cup semi-final, a match that his plucky side lost. If that is enough to earn a place in the United squad then Axel Tuanzebe can feel hard done by after his masterclass against the Frenchman when United defeated Paris Saint-Germain in October 2020.

Amrabat labelled Ten Hag as one of the 'most important people' in his career after he had given him his breakthrough at Utrecht almost a decade ago. A lot has changed since then, but the 27-year-old transforming into a world-class midfielder is not one of them.

If ever there was a game for the Moroccan to get another chance in the United side it would have been Monday night, yet it was damning that even an ally like Ten Hag overlooked him in favour of a far from convincing midfield axis. The club have not been intending to activate their option to buy Amrabat for a few months now and there is no chance they will be turned.

With the score at 3-0, it was Amrabat who came on to replace Antony. Six minutes later United conceded a fourth, a further three minutes later the defensive midfielder was lucky to only receive a yellow card for a reckless challenge on Michael Olise. It was a reckless decision, a fitting tribute to his time at United.

This was the latest demonstration that no matter what happens with Ten Hag, he must have recruitment powers taken away from him this summer, if not all of his power at the club.

Amrabat is one of the worst signings in the club's history, the irony is that even worse business left them unable to buy him permanently.