Match-Starved — Amad Diallo Seeks Immediate Clarifications On His United Future
Amad Diallo proves he still has a future at Manchester United.
It may have taken nearly four years, but Amad Diallo has finally announced his arrival at Old Trafford.
In the Fa Cup quarter-final against Liverpool the 21-year-old Ivorian winger enshrined himself in Manchester United’s long and rich history by scoring a last minute extra-time winner United’s triumph over fierce rivals.
It sparked wild celebrations inside and outside Old Trafford at the end of what was one of the greatest games the famous stadium had ever witnessed.
On 120 minutes, with the game destined for a penalty shoot-out, Amad won the ball on the edge of the United penalty area, before it broke to Alejandro Garnacho, who took it up the field, before passing it back to Amad who scored with a low finish past the outstretched hand of Caoimhin Kelleher.
It neatly showcased some of Amad’s most obvious talents in one enthralling move: intelligence, work-rate, pace, calmness and clinical finishing.
Erik said after the game; “I am so happy for him,He is one of the players who had huge setbacks. He has returned knowing there is lot of competition in his position and he doesn’t always get the time he deserves.”
After an impressive loan spell at Sunderland last season, where he scored 13 goals in 37 appearances and won their young player of the year award, Amad was expected to be an important player back at Old Trafford this season.
But Amad progress was hampered with a knee injury during the summer, which saw him miss the first five months of the season, and since his return at the end of December, he has been limited to just four substitute appearances totalling a combined 98 minutes.
Since United signed Amad in October 2020 from the Italian side Atalanta for a transfer fee that could reach as high as £37 million, he has only made a mere 13 appearances for the club.
After making his first nine appearances, United’s coaches believed he needed to be sent out of loan to gain greater experience, and in January 2022 he went to Rangers in the Scottish Premier League, scoring 3 goals in 13 games, before spending the entire 2022-23 season with Sunderland in the Championship.
His Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray called Amad an “amazing talent” who is a “maestro with the ball.”
He also added, “Controlling the ball’s so easy for Amad, he doesn’t have to think because he can just kill it dead and he sees the pass straight away. It’s unbelievable how clever he is.”
Amad Diallo developed his game in the Championship at the Stadium of Light, and proved he wasn’t just a right-winger, but could operate as a playmaker in the No.10 position, or as a striker.
On his return to Old Trafford last summer, the expectation was Amad would compete with Jadon Sancho and Antony for the right-wing position, only for an untimely injury to scupper these plans.
Ten Hag has used Amad sparingly in the last two and a half months, which seemed to provoke some annoyance from the player last week, when he temporarily deleted pictures of him playing for United from his social media accounts.
But he has now begun to prove to his manager he can be relied upon in the most important moment of all, and has the talent and character to make further progress at Old Trafford.
Amad Diallo demands answers over game time
Amad Diallo now seeks clarification on his future following the continuous limited game time he gets. He has been seemingly frustrated with how much minutes he spends on the Manchester United bench.
Clubs around Europe are keeping close eye on Amad situation and could potentially swoop in if conditions doesn’t change for the talented youngster.
