Man United outcasts Sofyan Amrabat and Fred on wanting to ‘kill’ their old club in Europa League showdown, thriving under Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce and how Erik ten Hag was overruled on keeping Amrabat

Sofyan Amrabat walks into the interview room overlooking the fields of Fenerbahçe’s Can Bartu training complex and delivers the customary Islamic greeting.

When the former Manchester United midfielder hears my reaction, he notices the northern accent and asks if I’m from Manchester.

The conversation moves to one of his favorite restaurants in Manchester – the Etci Mehmet Steakhouse – and he reminisces about how he fell in love with the city and the club during a ‘difficult’ season that ended at Wembley when he started to win in the FA Cup final. Manchester city. His performance led to Paul Scholes describing the Moroccan on Instagram as ‘Prime Gattuso’.

“No one will forget this day beating one of the best teams in the world,” Amrabat told Mail Sport.

For Amrabat, on loan from Fiorentina, that was the last time he wore the United shirt.

Erik ten Hag wanted to activate the option to buy him for £21 million, but the United hierarchy thought differently and instead opted for PSG’s Manuel Ugarte for £51 million.

“I have had a special relationship with Ten Hag since I was twenty years old at Utrecht,” Amrabat said ahead of United’s visit to Fenerbahçe on Thursday.

‘He wanted to keep me this summer so I wish him the best, but not until Thursday. I hope they lose,” he added. I ask if he would like to say anything else about his departure and his answer is telling. “All I’m saying is you should ask Mr. Wilcox.”

That’s Jason Wilcox, the new technical director at Old Trafford. Amrabat reveals that four Premier League clubs were interested in him before choosing Fenerbahce. A few months later, the 28-year-old is blossoming alongside another United outcast in Fred, under none other than Jose Mourinho.

“He’s a fantastic player, I like playing with him,” says Amrabat, while his teammate returns the favor by calling him “a great player.”

Fred, who spent five years at Old Trafford after Mourinho signed him for £52 million in 2018, has found new equipment in Turkey and scored his first career hat-trick earlier this season.

The 31-year-old tells Mail Sport how he was also emotional when United sold him to Fenerbahce for £13 million last summer.

“It was tough because we had adjusted to life in Manchester and my wife was pregnant,” Fred recalls. “But that’s the way football is and Fenerbahce has supported me enormously.”

When Fenerbahce played United in the Europa League draw, Fred sent WhatsApp directly to his former teammates.

‘I sent Bruno (Fernandes) a message saying: ‘We will kill you’ and he replied: ‘No, we will kill you’, but then my friend got a red card (against Porto), so he doesn’t want to play with us playing,” says Fred. with a beaming smile he admits there is still a tinge of sadness watching United’s struggles.

“They are not at the best time, but I support them,” he says. ‘I’m angry when they don’t get good results or don’t play well, but against us it’s different. They can’t play well on Thursday.’

Fenerbahce’s match against United is the second of six games in a three-week period that Mourinho knows is crucial given the difficult start to their season, which Fred describes as ‘a bit slow’.

For the 31-year-old, winning the league this season is non-negotiable as he was part of the side that fell short last season despite achieving a record 99 points.

Fenerbahce were pipped to the title by arch-rivals Galatasaray, making it a decade without being king of Turkey, and manager Ismail Kartal was subsequently sacked.

“Ninety-nine points and we didn’t win, so of course we’re angry,” he says. “We definitely have to win the title this season.”

It speaks volumes about Fred’s desire to develop when he emphasizes at the end how much he enjoyed speaking English again.

In Amrabat’s case, a phone call from Mourinho in the summer sealed the decision.

“If the Special One calls you and you are his main target, it’s different,” he says. ‘Fenerbahce gave me the feeling that they really wanted me. I felt the love and it was hard to say no. I chose with my heart.’

Falling in the 2022 World Cup semi-finals to Morocco and losing the 2023 Europa Conference League final to Fiorentina have only increased Amrabat’s appetite for silverware. Winning the FA Cup felt good but he insists the scale of the Istanbul project attracted him, with Fenerbahce desperate for trophies having won just one Turkish Cup in the past decade.

“Jose means success and winning trophies,” says Amrabat. ‘I’m convinced he takes this with him, but it’s not magic. We have to improve. With a coach like him, results will normally come and I am confident. We have a lot of quality and new staff, so it takes time. Even in six months it might not be perfect, but in football you need time to create something special.”

So onto Thursday and a chance to kickstart Fenerbahce’s season. What can United expect in the cauldron that is Sukru Sarakcoglu Stadium?

‘The fans in Turkey have the same passion as in Brazil. They’re crazy,” Fred warns.

Amrabat agrees. ‘You have to feel it: the emotion, the energy, the atmosphere is crazy. It pushes you so much,” he says.

The last time Fenerbahce hosted an English team, they defeated a Mourinho-led United side in 2016. A similar outcome could be decisive for a Ten Hag under pressure.