Sofyan Amrabat revealed why he had to leave Manchester United despite having a "special relationship" with Erik ten Hag.

The Moroccan midfielder was loaned to United from Fiorentina last September. The deal, worth £8.5 million ($10.9 million), included an option for United to secure Amrabat’s services permanently for €20 million (£17/$21.5m), plus an additional €5 million (£4.23m/$5.37m) in add-ons.

Although Ten Hag was keen to keep Amrabat in his squad permanently, the Manchester United hierarchy opted for a different path. Instead of activating the option to buy Amrabat, the club chose to pursue Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain for £51 million.

In an interview with Daily Mail, Amrabat revealed that despite Ten Hag's desire to hold on to him, the club’s new technical director, Jason Wilcox, chose to opt for a different transfer strategy which led to his departure from Old Trafford.

"I have a special relationship with Ten Hag since I was a 20-year-old at Utrecht," he said before facing the Red Devils in the Europa League. "He wanted to keep me this summer so I wish him the best but not for Thursday. I hope they lose."

When asked if he had more to share about his departure from Manchester United, Amrabat gave a cryptic response. “The only thing that I want to say is that you have to ask Mr. Wilcox,” he remarked.

Amrabat’s exit, however, wasn’t without interest from other clubs. The midfielder revealed that four Premier League clubs were keen on acquiring his services before he eventually chose to join Fenerbahce. He has made a fine start to his life in Istanbul establishing himself as a key figure in Jose Mourinho's side. He played the full 90 minutes against his former side on Thursday and put in an impressive performance during the 1-1 draw.