Sofyan Amrabat withdraws from international duty with injury

Sofyan Amrabat has been forced to withdraw from international duty after the Moroccan Football Federation confirmed he has picked up an injury.

Amrabat joined Manchester United on loan from Fiorentina late in the transfer window and is yet to make his debut for the Red Devils, who highlighted a back problem as the midfielder underwent his medical.

The 27-year-old trained with Morocco earlier this week but a statement released late on Thursday confirmed he was injured and had been replaced in the squad.

It is not yet clear whether Amrabat’s departure from camp is related to the back issue United detected before the break.

With no mention of the severity of this fresh concern, United fans have been left sweating over the fitness of their newest signing.

Amrabat will now return to United for further checks, with Erik ten Hag keen to get the midfielder ready for his debut when club football returns later this month.

United will host Brighton & Hove Albion on 16 September before getting their Champions League campaign underway against Bayern Munich four days later, and Ten Hag will hope to avoid any further fitness concerns after losing a number of first-team stars to injury before the break.

Club officials are already keeping a close eye on Lisandro Martinez’s involvement with Argentina. The centre-back was withdrawn in the second half of the recent 3-1 defeat to Arsenal with a foot problem but was still called up for international duty.

Martinez missed Argentina’s 1-0 win over Ecuador in the early hours of Friday morning and faces a battle to prove his fitness before Tuesday’s clash with Bolivia.