Amad Diallo’s story of Man United transfer recalled, his ‘idol’ convinced him to join

Amad Diallo has finally been offered a chance at Manchester United three and a half years after he joined the club.

Amad, 21, moved to United in 2021 from Atalanta and was one of the most highly-rated youngsters in Europe.

This season, he remained at Old Trafford after a successful loan spell at Championship side Sunderland last term. Yet, injury kept him unavailable until December and then he was used as an occasional bench player.

In recent weeks, however, he has managed to start consecutive games against Arsenal and Newcastle and impressed heavily in both games. He scored and assisted in a 3-2 win against The Magpies.

Many are expecting Amad to start in the final Premier League game of the season against Brighton and then also in the FA Cup final against Manchester City next weekend.

Yet, Amad was being scouted by many clubs three years ago and his decision to join United was partly down to his ‘idol’ Paul Pogba being at the club.

“I met him when I was a kid at that trial at Juventus. After the session, they asked me who I would like to have a photo with, and I asked for Paul. He was my idol,” the 21-year-old explained shortly after he joined the club in 2021.

“Then, when I received the bid from United, and I realised that Paul was here, I didn’t have to think twice, and I wanted to come here straight away.

“To be playing with him five years later is incredible. I could not possibly ever imagine it happening.

“But these things happen once in a lifetime, and when such occasions come along, you have to seize them. To play with Paul five years later is unbelievable and hard to describe, really.”

Of course, Pogba left United in the summer of 2022 and rejoined Juventus, but he is currently banned from football after failing a drug test in August last year.