Amad Diallo’s Manchester United career now appears to be taking off, writes CHRIS WHEELER. After two false starts following his successful Sunderland loan, the Ivorian has entered Old Trafford folklore with his FA Cup victory over Liverpool.
After Amad Diallo’s amazing extra-time winner against Liverpool made Old Trafford history, it’s not surprise that the young Ivorian forgot he had already been booked. Amad took off his shirt in celebration, and he was ejected by referee John Brooks for a second yellow card.
Fortunately, United’s ten men hung on for the dying seconds of a famous 4-3 victory over their old rivals on Sunday, securing a spot in next month’s FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley Stadium.
‘It was one of Manchester United’s best performances, and I scored a last-minute goal against Liverpool. “It was an unbelievable moment for me,” Amad explained.
‘I believe in myself, and I want to thank the fans and my family for supporting me every day. It is very special for me because it was my dream to play for United.
‘The manager believes in me. He gives me a lot of confidence and I want to continue like this. I am on the bench but every time I am ready to come in and fight for the team. I wait for my chance and, for me, every game is like a Champions League final.
‘It was the perfect moment. I forgot the first yellow! But it was important we won, so I am very happy.’
It might not be the only thing Amad wants to forget about a season that promised so much after he returned from a successful loan spell at Sunderland last summer.
Indeed, his Old Trafford career has not lived up to expectations since United agreed to pay Atalanta £19 million, which could rise to £37 million, for the teenager in January 2021.
The transfer was clouded by suspicions that he used forged passports and false parents to get to Europe from Ivory Coast. The FIGC, Italy’s football regulatory body, fined Diallo £42,000 when he dropped the surname Traore on his 18th birthday.
The teenager scored his first goal for United in a Europa League match against AC Milan, but it took three years for his second, which came in Sunday’s dramatic cup victory over Liverpool.
Amad spent the second half of the 2021-22 season on loan with Rangers, and the previous season at Sunderland. The 21-year-old returned from Wearside last summer as the PFA Championship fans’ player of the year, having contributed 14 goals and four assists to Sunderland’s season, which culminated in a play-off semi-final defeat to Luton Town.
‘I was with Sunderland last season and came here to wait for my turn,’ Amad said on Sunday.
‘It was crucial for me to go on loan to gain confidence and experience, so now that I am at Manchester United, I am really glad to be here.’
However, his dreams of having an impact at United this season were dashed during the club’s summer tour of the United States, when he suffered a catastrophic left knee injury against Arsenal in New Jersey.
It meant he lost out on a chance to establish his claim for a spot on the right wing in a year when Mason Greenwood departed the club on loan for Getafe, Jadon Sancho was frozen out due to a disagreement with manager Erik ten Hag, and Antony was placed on leave to contest off-the-field claims.
Nothing more was heard from Amad until September, when he shared a snapshot of his knee on social media with the caption’small steps’, revealing a huge scar and swelling as he began rehab at Carrington.
He resumed light training in October and rejoined the rest of his teammates in December, returning to United’s match-day squad in the last game of the year at Nottingham Forest.
Amad came off the bench in a defeat at the City Ground and wasn’t seen again for two more months when he came on as a substitute in another defeat at home to Fulham.
In between, he was overlooked by Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil and overtaken by Omari Forson at United amid speculation Ten Hag rated the England Under-20 winger more highly. Even so, he insisted on staying at Old Trafford in the January transfer window instead of going out on loan for a third time.
Amad was brought on in the FA Cup win over Forest but frustration appeared to get the better of him after he was left on the bench for the Manchester derby and victory over Everton.
He deleted all reference to United from his social media accounts, leaving just a photo of himself playing for Sunderland and a message in French that read ‘this will all end’. The devout Muslim later said he shut down his social media accounts because of Ramadan.
All that was forgotten on Sunday, though, when Amad nicked the ball away from Harvey Elliott on the edge of United’s penalty box deep into extra-time and set off towards the Liverpool goal in support of Alejandro Garnacho.
The young Argentina international played the ball back to him and Amad’s burst of acceleration past Conor Bradley gave him just enough space to squeeze a shot inside the far post. Cue bedlam inside Old Trafford.
The red card means he will be banned for the next game against Brentford, but the hope now is that Amad can become the player that he – and United – always hoped he would be.
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