Amad could have a vital role to play under the new manager (Picture: Getty)
Once Manchester United’s forgotten man, Amad Diallo’s prospects look brighter than ever ahead of the arrival of Ruben Amorim.
Amorim will officially take the reins at Old Trafford on Monday with plenty waiting in his in-tray. Before he gets to work, some of the gloom that has engulfed Old Trafford has lifted during Ruud van Nistelrooy’s bright spell in charge as interim boss which ended with a flourish on Sunday with a 3-0 win over Leicester City.
Bruno Fernandes shone with Manuel Ugarte providing another much-improved showing ahead of his reunion with his former Sporting Lisbon boss. But a second standout performance from Amad in a week also caught the eye.
The Ivorian turned in a superb display in the Europa League against PAOK on Thursday night, scoring twice as the club ended their wretched run without a win in Europe.
The 22-year-old kept his place in the side Sunday against Leicester at the expense of Alejandro Garnacho, tormenting the Leicester backline at times and providing the sumptuous assist for Fernandes’ opener, backheeling into the path of the Portuguese who lashed home from range.
Amad has endured his ups and downs since arriving in Manchester in 2019 from Atalanta. Last season, his first full campaign back at United following loan spells at Rangers and Sunderland, he took his chances, notably on that chaotic afternoon against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-final when he wrote his name into United folklore.
But there were perhaps not enough chances those performances merited. The winger started three of the opening four Premier League games this season but without real explanation, suddenly lost his place.
Ugarte has also shone in midfield (Picture: Getty)
In Erik ten Hag’s penultimate game in charge against Fenerbahce – another night in Europe where the lead was thrown away – Amad was overlooked as the Dutchman brought on Antony with his side chasing the win.
Ten Hag suggested it was Antony’s performances in training that merited him getting the nod ahead of Amad. The Ivory Coast made a mockery of those comments on Thursday night against PAOK and underlined the importance of his role again on Sunday.
Better in possession and perhaps more hard-working than Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, Amad will be well placed to earn a place in Amorim’s team, possessing the attributes needed to play in the Portuguese’s preferred 3-4-3 formation.
‘I am excited to have him in this team and I can’t wait to work with him,’ Diallo said of Amorim this week.
‘Everyone is here to give his best, and sometimes it’s good. So today we have to enjoy together, and we are ready for the next step.’
Ugarte is another who will feel reinvigorated heading into the new era. The £51million summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain started all four games under van Nistelrooy with an industrious yet controlled performance against Leicester the pick of the bunch.
The 23-year-old spent two seasons under Amorim at Sporting, brought to the club for a modest fee of £4.5million before eventually displacing João Palhinha in midfield.
That midfield authority United paid for was on show against Leicester, with Ugarte winning eight tackles on Sunday afternoon. While Amorim have new ideas on how to solve United’s woes, that existing relationship could prove vital.
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