Amad Diallo has until the end of the season to prove his worth at Man United.
Manchester United have always given youth a chance. The Old Trafford side always tend to fare better when utilising the talent at the club, as opposed to making big-money signings.
Winger Amad is a little of both. He has been at the club for many years now, though it wasn’t a cheap signing when United persuaded Atalanta to part with the player.
After scoring a goal on his European debut, Amad has barely featured. A couple of loan moves followed. An average spell at Rangers before an excellent period with Sunderland last season.
Injury would strike over the summer, with the Ivory Coast international only now getting somewhere close to full fitness. Thus far, he has been limited to minor minutes off the substitutes bench. However, I get the impression that time is running out for Amad.
The 21-year-old may never get a better opportunity to make his first-team breakthrough. Jadon Sancho isn’t at the club. Antony is playing poorly. Facundo Pellistri is also away on loan. Alejandro Garnacho is playing on the left-hand side, at least for the time being. The right-wing spot is truly up for grabs, though as of yet, Amad hasn’t made it happen.
His young career felt like it was perfectly summed up during the Newport County FA Cup game. This felt like the perfect opportunity to hand Amad a start and a real chance to prove his worth. That didn’t happen. Seemingly, the attacker isn’t doing enough in training, with Erik ten Hag preferring to utilise his senior players out of position instead. A damning fact for young Amad.
️ Amad: “What I like most about Manchester is playing for Manchester United, because it’s my childhood dream.” #MUFC ️ pic.twitter.com/t8VOZSqLy3
— UtdTruthful (@Utdtruthful) March 6, 2024
Amad has recently made no bones about it being his dream to play for United. It’s up to him to make that happen. Nobody else.
Time feels like it’s running out. I cannot imagine United and INEOS allowing themselves to enter next season with real question marks hanging over the right-hand side of their attack. I would not be surprised to see the club make a major signing in that area of the pitch. All that would mean for Amad is even fewer minutes.
I’d wager pretty good money that if Amad hasn’t had a run of starts between now and the end of the season, he’ll never make that leap. For all we know, that decision may have already been made. I don’t doubt that the attacker will go on to have an excellent career within the sport, his Sunderland loan highlighted his immense natural ability. Perhaps he’s just not destined to make it at the very top level.
Personally, I’d love to see Amad out there. Just to see what he’s made of. That may not happen while United remain in the hunt for Champions League football, purely due to the intensity and importance of the situation. However, even that gives us indicators suggesting his future may lie elsewhere if the manager doesn’t trust him to play under these high pressure moments.
Do you think Amad is good enough for Man United? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.