After his struggles at Wydad: Morocco star seals a surprise return to Europe

One of Morocco's veteran stars is back in European football after a single season in Morocco with Wydad.

Noureddine Amrabat, 39, has joined Dutch club Utrecht as a free agent.

His exit from the Casablanca side came amid a policy of financial austerity imposed by the new management under Brahim El Asri, who declined to renew the contracts of a large number of players. Amrabat was one of them, leaving during a financial crisis that hit the regularity of salaries late last season.

In 38 matches for Wydad, he scored 4 goals and provided 4 assists.

Utrecht confirmed the news in a statement on their website on Tuesday.

Two weeks of training with the squad were enough to impress the coaching staff, and the former Moroccan international has now been cleared to feature in official competition.

His brother helped smooth the path. Sofyan Amrabat, once part of Utrecht's youth ranks, stepped in with the club's management to secure a trial period.

The move hands Utrecht a versatile player with plenty of experience, built up in his early years at Ajax, Huizen and PSV.

Next up for Utrecht is a fifth-round league clash with GA Eagles this coming Saturday.

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