New Delhi: Amad Diallo gave Manchester United the one win that matters so much due to the hype that is around the Manchester derby. It was in the 90th minute that the deciding goal came for United after being on the back foot for almost the entire length of the game. Lisandro Martinez launched a searching ball for Diallo to meet and strike into the box with his left foot.
It was a major decision from the new United manager, Ruben Amorim, as he opted to drop Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho. In the duo’s absence, Amad and captain Burno Fernandes played as the two no. 10s after Mason Mount got injured in the 14th minute. The decision could have been fatal as the duo scored late to take a 2-1 win over Manchester City.
The win was big after United failed to win in the league last season. After the game, Diallo noted that the side wanted to play this game, and though they failed to score in the first half, they were pressing in the second half. The 22-year-old concluded that the win showed that the team could win in any situation against any team.
Diallo, under former manager Erik ten Hag, who was fired in October, had just made six appearances for the Red Devils and had just two goal contributions. His resurgence came under interim manager Rudd van Nistelrooy, with the Ivorian international having piled up eight goal contributions across competition since.
His performances have given rise to the belief that the team has over the quality Diallo brings to the side. Fernandes went on to say that Diallo is unstoppable when he is in such a patch. This is a far cry from his early days when he made infrequent appearances for the first team of United.
🔴✨ Bruno Fernandes on Amad: “When he is like this he is unstoppable”.
“I just want him to keep working, that is what he has been doing. It is great what he did but I am sure he can do this every week”.
“We want this week in, week out!”. pic.twitter.com/efS7LDUrjE
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 16, 2024
Even Ruben Amorim agreed that Diallo was really grounded and appreciated his predecessor’s work with him. Amorim was hopeful that Diallo would continue performing.
Amad Diallo’s coming-of-age performance
After joining Man United in 2021, Diallo was loaned first to the Scottish Premier League side Rangers. The following, he was loaned to the English second-tier club Sutherland. It was here that Diallo shone bright, scoring 14 times and making four assists in 42 appearances across the competition for the club. It was clear that if Diallo was given time to adjust, he could dictate a team’s success.
A knee injury had kept him on the sidelines for most of the 2023-24 season. However, his winner at the FA Cup quarterfinal and his maiden goal against Newcastle United was enough to showcase the kind of player Diallo is, with his eye for goal-scoring opportunities and his ability to play consistently.
In Amorim’s team, dynamic wingers and wing-backs thrive and are known for attacking and defending. This is the reason that Diallo is looking good to be a mainstay at Amorim’s team, having occupied the right wing-back position during United’s 1-1 draw over Ipswich.
In recent seasons, conceding against a big team early meant United would make the game transitional. They would speed up the tempo of attack, which would leave a big gap between the attack and defence. This would give high chances for their opponents. However, against City, they were more about controlling the game and increasing their ball possession. This resulted in the City falling into a compact shape and eventually crumbling while United maintained its composure to create an opening.
Diallo is rarely stationary when being inside the penalty box. During Amorim’s first Premier League game, Diallo had 71 touches. As a right-back, he needed to play more for the defence, and yet Diallo managed to make an assist in the only goal of the night. Against Everton, Diallo made 72 touches and provided two assists in the game.
With Diallo’s contract set to expire in June 2025, fans would hope that Diallo’s contract is actually extended as he will prove to be an asset in Ruben Amorim’s tactical plans.
Amad Diallo was the hero for Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United during last weekend’s derby and has proved he can perform under immense pressure. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
