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Amad Diallo: What’s next for the wonder kid at Manchester United?

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12:03

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12:03

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Credit: IMAGO / Focus Images

As Sunderland A.F.C secured their Championship playoff spot on Monday with a 3-0 win over Preston North End, the attention of Manchester had been drawn to Deepdale, but not with the result in mind.

Eyes were fixed upon Sunderland’s attacking midfielder, a young player with incredible feet and an ability to manipulate the defenders in front of him with the ease of Vincent van Gogh in a secondary school art class.

Amad Diallo has caught the attention of admirers far and wide this season, with a stunning display of skill, creativity and proficiency in front of goal throughout Sunderland’s Championship campaign.

Read More: Sunderland boss offers Erik ten Hag midfield solution with Amad position change

This attention has led to speculation about the 20 year-olds future at Manchester United and more specifically, whether Diallo should be brought into the first-team fold next season.

Whilst Diallo passes both the statistical test and the eye test with flying colours, there are a number of considerations other than just the player’s ability that must be made in order to assess whether he is ready to take the step up and perform for an elite European team on the biggest stage.

Player Attributes and Skillsets

As a player, Diallo exhibits all the skills you would want in an elite winger.

He has the ability to, more than anything, beat the man in front of him with ease, utilising an arsenal of footwork at his disposal as well as raw pace when the situation deems it necessary.

His left foot is both a wand and a weapon, with the winger hitting the back of the net from a distance on several occasions. These goals have been a mixture of elegance and raw power in the strike, creating fear and uncertainty in the mind of opposing goalkeepers.

A demonstration of this was provided in the Sunerland’s win at Deepdale in the final game of the season before the playoffs, where Diallo curled the ball into the very top corner with virtually no backlift.

What is most impressive about these qualities is that they have manifested into genuine goal contributions on regular occasions.

13 goals and 3 assists in 37 Championship appearances for the Black Cats this season has seen Diallo end the season with the highest average goal contribution per 90 mins in the Championship, an outstanding feat for a player so young.

While these are all fantastic attributes for a winger in general to possess, the most important question remains: Are they the right attributes for Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United?

Ten Hag has installed a fast-paced, expansive style of football at Old Trafford, with this style putting a heavy emphasis on the wingers to cut inside, giving them the option to lay the ball off to their full-back partners or deliver a shot on goal.

Given Diallo’s ability to deliver the ball into the box for his teammates or alternatively, have a shot at goal, the suggestion would be that Diallo would fit into this system perfectly.

Furthermore, just under 49% of Diallo’s total touches during the 22/23 season came in the middle third, showing his willingness to drop into midfield to help with build-up when the situation demands it. This is the kind of versatility Erik ten Hag will place a high level of value upon.

Current Squad and Rotation

Perhaps the biggest obstacle standing in Diallo’s way when it comes to moving into the first-team fold at Manchester United is the abundance of forwards players at the club, especially wingers of a similar profile.

Erik ten Hag currently has the likes of Antony, Jadon Sancho, Facundo Pellistri and Anthony Elanaga (in that order of preference) at his disposal who all offer a similar profile to Diallo at right winger.

Furthermore, Jadon Sancho and Antony are the oldest of these wingers at only 23, meaning Diallo fails to even offer a difference in terms of his youth.

However, there are two crucial aspects to the 20-year-old, which could see him establish himself amongst the top end of that pecking order.

Firstly, Diallo offers a balance in terms of playstyle between Jadon Sancho and Antony.

Diallo is far more likely to drive with the ball than Sancho, with a more direct playstyle which will prove more useful to Ten Hag if he is looking to exert pressure on United’s opponents.

However, he is also more measured than Antony and represents a slightly more conservative style than the Brazilian. While still extremely direct, Diallo has more use of his weaker foot and is, therefore, able to recycle the ball far quicker and more effectively than Antony.

This balance could see Ten Hag key to involve Diallo next season, with the versatility offered by Diallo’s presence in the squad key to adapting in-game.

Secondly, Diallo has just come off the back of a 46-game Championship season, with midweek experiences a common occurrence.

Read More: Manchester United fans will love new Amad Diallo chant from Sunderland

This would prove valuable in a United side that is going to be competing in a minimum of four competitions next season.

Diallo’s experience of a congested fixture schedule at Sunderland this year would likely translate into comfort in competing for multiple different competitions at Old Trafford in the 23/24 season.

With Diallo likely to see any involvement from the bench, having a player that wouldn’t require extra time to develop confidence in mid-week fixtures would prove important to Ten Hag.

Ultimately, the current depth in United’s squad presents the biggest challenge to Diallo’s chances of becoming a feature of the first team at Old Trafford next season, but this challenge is not insurmountable. A combination of newfound experience and versatile play style could prove to be important enough to Erik ten Hag that the Dutchman that Diallo is incorporated into the squad for a breakout season in Manchester.

Gametime and Development

The biggest argument for sending Diallo back out on loan next season is the number of minutes the Ivorian would see on the pitch.

Having played approximately 2,835 minutes for Sunderland thus far in the 22/23 season, it is likely Diallo would want to continue accumulating time on the field to aid his development.

While it is clear that he wouldn’t get the same number of minutes for United should he remain for the first team for the 23/24 season, there would be an expectation for at least a reasonable amount of time played.

While this would seem likely considering that United would be competing across four competitions next season, it is far from certain, given the reluctance of Ten Hag to play the likes of Facundo Pellistri and Zidane Iqbal this season when there have been occasions in which it seemed adequate.

Should this be the likelihood, it would be far more prudent to send the winger out on loan again, but perhaps look for a high level of challenge.

There would be a vast list of suitors for Diallo, especially given his performances for Sunderland, with the Black Cats a candidate for bringing the winger back, especially if they regain their Premier League status through the Play-Offs.

Ultimately this comes down to a balance between the quality of the fixture Diallo finds himself playing in and the number of minutes.

There is a case to be made that 25 minutes of Premier League/UCL football a week is worth more than 90 minutes of Championship football in terms of player development.

Judgement: Get him in the squad!

Having assessed Diallo as a player and the situation he would find himself in at Manchester United under Erik ten Hag, there is everything to suggest he can prove to be a valuable member of the squad.

His playstyle allows him to offer something different to the team and gives Erik ten Hag to ability to adapt his team in the game, whilst still fitting into the playstyle the Manchester United boss has spent this season installing into his team.

Given that Manchester United will be competing across four competitions, Diallo is likely to get adequate game time given his proven ability.

His role in the Manchester United squad could look similar to Alejandro Garnacho’s has done throughout the 22/23 season, with the Argentine setting the bar for the squad’s younger players extremely high.

Whether Erik ten Hag plans to use Diallo remains to be seen, but the early signs are there, with Diallo reportedly offered the chance to attend Wembley with the team for the FA Cup final with Manchester City.

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