D.C. United have acquired midfielder Mohammed Abu from Vålerenga Fotball in Norway on a one-year loan with an option to exercise a permanent transfer at the conclusion of the loan. Abu, who holds a Green Card and will not occupy an International spot, will join the Black-and-Red pending receipt of his ITC.

“We’re excited for Abu to join the team and add some important depth in the central midfield position,” Dave Kasper, D.C. United General Manager and VP of Soccer Operations, said. “He has good defensive instincts and has an impressive passing range. We’re looking forward to adding him to the roster to bolster our squad as we enter the 2020 MLS season.”

Abu started his professional career with Strømsgodset IF in the Norwegian first division after joining on loan from his parent club, Manchester City, in the English Premier League on Dec. 31, 2011. He made his debut for the club on Sept. 13, 2010 against Molde FK. Abu had multiple stints with the Norwegian side during his career; scoring five goals and recording three assists in 152 total appearances across all competitions. While with Manchester City, he also went on loan to Rayo Vallecano in Spain and FC Lorient in France. The midfielder made three total appearances for Rayo Vallecano and eight appearances for FC Lorient. Abu then joined Strømsgodset IF on a permanent transfer from Manchester City on Feb. 21, 2014.

Abu joined Columbus Crew SC from Strømsgodset IF in the Norwegian first tier prior to the 2017 season. Abu made his debut for Columbus during a 1-1 draw against Chicago on March 4, 2017. The Ghanaian recorded his first assist to give the Crew a 2-0 win over LA Galaxy on Aug. 23, 2017. In his debut season in MLS, Abu made 20 appearances (14 starts) and helped guide Columbus to the MLS Cup playoffs. In the 2017 postseason, Abu made three appearances, leading Columbus to the Eastern Conference Finals where they were defeated by Toronto on Nov. 29. Abu departed the Crew to join Vålerenga Fotball on Aug. 10, 2018. In two seasons, he recorded two assists in 37 appearances.

Player: Mohammed Abu

Position: Midfield

Birthplace: Accra, Ghana

Country: Ghana

Birthdate: 11/14/1991

Age: 28

Height: 5’7”

Weight: 150

Previous Club: Vålerenga Fotball

Status: Green Card

Transaction: D.C. United acquire Mohammed Abu from Vålerenga Fotball on a one-year loan with an option to exercise a permanent transfer at the conclusion of the loan.