Amad has become one of Manchester United’s most important players under Ruben Amorim but his struggles earlier this season were clear to see.
Manchester United signed Amad during Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s time in charge and he was rated as one of the most exciting attacking talents in Europe.
After not getting the minutes he desired during a loan spell at Rangers, Amad took the Championship by storm at Sunderland, proving that he was ready for the step up to United’s first-team.
He forced his way into Erik ten Hag’s side at the back-end of last season and started this campaign excellently, winning United’s Player of the Month award in August.
However, the Dutch manager did not seem to trust Amad with consistent minutes and he was regularly taken out of the team and given minutes off the bench.
It seemed to come to a boiling point in the Europa League game against Fenerbahce, when Amad was told to come off the bench in the final minutes of the game.
That was the clash where Noussair Mazraoui was played as a no.10 – a position Amad has played – and Antony came on for Marcus Rashford before him despite being in dismal form.
Amad looked furious when he had to replace the Brazilian, who had got injured, with the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake trying to calm him down.
Amad breaks silence on frustrating moment vs Fenerbahce
Speaking in an interview with MailSport ahead of the Europa League final, the 22-year-old has reflected on that moment and admitted that he was ‘frustrated’ by the situation.
“In that moment, I was frustrated because you can understand sometimes maybe you deserve to play and you don’t play,” explained Amad.
“I need the game time to show I can play for this club and you have a little bit of frustration.”
He has certainly shown what he can do under Ruben Amorim and is a must-starter in the final against Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao later this week.
Despite his opportunities on the pitch being inconsistent under Ten Hag, the wide attacker still appreciates the help he received from the Dutchman.
“Honestly, Erik helped me a lot,” Amad added. “He was giving me a lot of advice. Even when I wasn’t playing, he was telling me to train very hard every time. I want to thank him again for the opportunity he gave me and wish him all the best.”
Amad can still improve at United
Amad’s talent has bene undeniable for a number of years and he has taken major strides forward this season under Amorim.
Despite injury keeping him out of action for around three months, the Ivorian has 10 goals and nine assists so far this season.
But the most interesting thing is that there still seems to be a lot of improvements he can make to take his game to the next level. You often feel like he needs to be more ruthless in the final third and believe in his own talents – that seems to be something which is coming along.
“I believe in my potential. I believe I can be one of the best in the world,” the 22-year-old added. “I just have to give my best every game. That’s it. But I think I believe in my potential.
“I think the manager believes in me too. He believes in my potential. I’m trying to repay his confidence every time I’m on the pitch.”
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