Ruben Amorim still has one more game to prepare for Sporting Lisbon before taking over as Manchester United manager, so Amad Diallo can only hope that the Portuguese tactician watches his performance against PAOK FC.
The 22-year-old winger has struggled for opportunities under Erik ten Hag, who was sacked by United last week. Called back by caretaker manager Ruud van Nistelrooy for the Europa League tie, Diallo was the standout performer and scored both goals.
Amorim will be busy between preparing for Sporting's game against Braga and assessing the squad he inherited when he first arrived at Old Trafford, and in that sense it's the perfect time for Diallo to impress his new boss.
"Amad Diallo is a fantastic player. A hard worker and he shows that in every training session. Every day after training he comes to me and wants to do more shots and crosses.
Diallo is always focused on learning and improving himself, lives professionally and is very motivated to achieve the best results in his career. I am very happy for him" - Van Nistelrooy said after the win over PAOK.
As the final whistle blew, Man United's official Instagram account posted a picture of Diallo with the caption "let him cook". However, the problem is that Diallo is barely allowed in the kitchen. Some Man United fans are puzzled as to why the young talent is constantly overlooked by Ten Hag.
The Ivorian produced one of Ten Hag’s finest moments, running half the length of the pitch to score the winner in stoppage time against Liverpool in the FA Cup last season. Despite being a hero that day, Diallo has struggled to get into the team regularly.
Diallo scored on his Premier League debut this season against Brighton in August, but was left out of the following game against Liverpool. He made another appearance against Southampton, assisting Marcus Rashford in a 3-0 win. Since then, Diallo's involvement has largely been limited to a substitute role.
Van Nistelrooy was unhappy with United's first-half performance. PAOK had more shots and more on target in the opening 45 minutes, but Diallo saved the Dutchman from an embarrassing blemish on his interim record.
As a pure winger, Diallo’s position doesn’t really exist in Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 system. Instead of wide right-sided forwards, Amorim often opts for two wingers behind a central striker. Amad could potentially take on the role of full-back, but that would require a lot of defensive responsibility.
