Ruben Amorim, who took over as Manchester United manager from the sacked Erik ten Hag in November 2024, had warned that a “storm will come”.
As much as he would have liked his players to have defied his prediction, Amorim’s words have proven prophetic: United has suffered seven defeats in 14 games (all competitions) in December and January, and continues to languish in the Premier League’s bottom half.
Silver lining
It’s a miserable period on the red side of Manchester — indeed after last weekend’s loss to Brighton at Old Trafford, Amorim conceded that this side is the “worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United” — but amid the darkness and despair, there is a shimmering ray of hope.
For, Amad Diallo is proving a man for the big occasion. The 22-year-old winger from the Ivory Coast, who barely saw game-time during ten Hag’s reign, is thriving under Amorim — in addition to scoring clutch goals against heavyweight rivals, Diallo has also saved the team’s blushes.
Diallo’s defining moments this season include an 80th-minute equaliser at Anfield to secure a 2-2 draw against Liverpool and an exquisite 90th-minute winner at Manchester City. Add last season’s winner in stoppage time of extra time as United ousted Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals, and you realise why he is already beginning to be viewed as a cult hero.
The most dramatic instance of Diallo’s heroics came last week when he conjured up a hat-trick in a remarkable late flurry that rescued United from embarrassment against Southampton, the Premier League’s worst team this season. The Red Devils were heading for a fourth straight home loss for the first time since the 1930s before Diallo’s intervention.
Blessed with weapons: Diallo’s ability to beat his man on the dribble, cut onto his left foot and create space for his shot makes him a natural goal threat. | Photo credit: Getty Images
Diallo’s exploits occurred a week after he had signed a five-year contract extension with the club and underlined his status as a potential superstar of the future. Only Wayne Rooney has scored a Premier League hat-trick for United at a younger age (21) than Diallo, who is only the third player in Premier League history to score three times in the final 10 minutes of a game.
Although Diallo wasn’t able to affect the result against Brighton last weekend, it wasn’t for want of trying. He created the most chances (four) and put in the joint-most successful tackles (three). If anything, the defeat was a measure of the extent to which Diallo’s performances have been papering over the cracks in the team’s foundations. With six goals and six assists, he has been involved in 44% of United’s goals despite only playing 71% of the available game-time.
Multifaceted talent
Diallo’s obvious game-breaking quality, football intelligence and tactical versatility have made him a mainstay in Amorim’s rebuilding project. The United manager has employed Diallo both as a wing-back and as an inside forward in his three-at-the-back formation, and while many in the team have struggled with the new tactical system, the 22-year-old has adapted almost at once.
“I am ready to play every position — I am ready to play as a wing-back, No. 10, where the manager likes to put me,” said Diallo. “I am ready to fight for this club.”
Alongside United’s other young players, Diallo has his sights set on taking United back to the top. “We are part of the project, we have so many young players for this club, especially Kobbie [Mainoo], Joshua [Zirkzee], Rasmus [Hojlund], me, we are young players who want to make history for this club,” Diallo told MUTV.
“We want to do our best every game. Sometimes it cannot work, but you can see in the pitch we are very focused to do our best for this club, because we want to bring back this club to the level it was before. So, for the young lads, we just have to keep going, work hard and the most important thing is to listen to the old men, the old players, learn every day.”
With Amorim, Diallo has the opportunity to work with a manager who has a track record of enhancing the end-product of his wide men and forwards. Pedro Goncalves, Nuno Santos and Viktor Gyokeres enjoyed prolific periods under Amorim’s guidance at Sporting CP.
Promising alliance: Diallo should benefit from working with Amorim, who has a track record of enhancing the end-product of his wide men. | Photo credit: Getty Images
Amorim’s game model involves exploiting the wide areas and half-spaces, and the early signs of this can already be seen at United. Even at right wing-back, Diallo has the licence to make marauding runs from deep — “He pushes the other team into the final third, that is really important,” said Amorim. Diallo’s ability to beat his man on the dribble, cut onto his left foot and create space for his shot make him a natural goal threat.
Careful handling
Amorim said “good things are going to happen” for the Ivory Coast international if he continues to train well. “He is in a great moment and he is having a very good season,” he said. But the manager also insisted he must take care not to lavish Diallo with too much praise.
“You have to be careful with the young kids,” said Amorim after the hat-trick against Southampton. “He needs to appreciate [good] moments. But I will tell him he has to rest, eat good food because we need him again [for the next game].”
While Diallo’s ability to produce moments is a valuable asset to have, Amorim is realistic about the size of the job on his hands. “I think it’s going to be hard until the end of the season. It’s going to be a little bit of that roller-coaster,” he said. “I think this is something that you can see from the past and we were, in the past, a team of transition. And we still are. So it is something that we have to change. To change, we need training… to have time to change.”
Diallo believes that United’s fortunes will change, insisting he will do everything he can to improve them. “I have huge ambitions in the game,” he said. “It has been a difficult season for everyone, but I fully believe that we are on the right path and the future is going to be really special. I am ready to give everything to help the team and make our supporters proud again.”
Published – January 24, 2025 11:56 pm IST
