Ruben Amorim still has one more match to prepare for Sporting Lisbon before taking over as head coach at Manchester United. Therefore, Amad Diallo can only hope that the Portuguese strategist will watch his performance against PAOK FC.
The 22-year-old winger has struggled for a chance under Erik ten Hag, who was sacked by Man United last week. Called back by caretaker manager Ruud van Nistelrooy for the Europa League match, Diallo was the top scorer and scored both goals.
Amorim will be busy between preparing for Sporting's match against Braga and assessing the squad he inherited when he started working at Old Trafford. In that sense, this is the perfect time for Diallo to impress his new manager.
"Amad Diallo was a great 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 always focuses on learning and improving himself, living professionally and being motivated to achieve the best results in his career. I am very happy for him" - Van Nistelrooy said after the win over PAOK.
When the final whistle blew, Man United's official Instagram account posted a photo of Diallo with the caption "let him cook". However, the problem is that Diallo is barely allowed in the kitchen. Some Man United fans do not understand why this young talent is constantly overlooked by Ten Hag.
The Ivorian has created one of the most beautiful moments under Ten Hag. He ran half the length of the pitch to score the decisive goal in injury time against Liverpool in the FA Cup last season. Despite becoming a hero that day, Diallo still struggled to regularly step into the squad.
Diallo scored in his Premier League debut this season against Brighton in August, but was left out of the next match against Liverpool. Having made his return appearance against Southampton, he assisted Marcus Rashford in a 3-0 win. Since then, Diallo's involvement has largely been limited to the role of a reserve player.
Van Nistelrooy was unhappy with United's first half performance. PAOK had more shots and more shots on target in the first 45 minutes. However, Diallo has saved the Dutch strategist from an embarrassing mark in his interim resume.
As a pure winger, Diallo's position does not really exist in Amorim's favorite 3-4-3 system. Instead of the deviant strikers having to move wide, Amorim often chose 2 wingers behind 1 center forward. Maybe Amad will take on the role of full-back, but that requires a huge defensive responsibility.
