Manager Ruben Amorim inherited a mess at Manchester United. But amid the chaos, the Portuguese tactician has found Amad Diallo and, for now at least, that is enough to keep United moving forward.
For much of the game against Southampton, the Red Devils were outplayed. The visitors took the lead in the first half and could have gone further. But just as Southampton were closing in on their first away win in the Premier League since February 2023, Amad scored a hat-trick in just 12 minutes to help United come from behind to win 3-1.
As the final whistle blew, the boos and groans that had filled Old Trafford for over 80 minutes turned to a standing ovation for the Ivorian.
It’s no surprise that Diallo is the only man to be praised at Old Trafford right now. In the space of a month, he scored the winner against Manchester City, equalised against Liverpool and pulled his team back from an unthinkable defeat to bottom-placed Southampton. It’s no surprise that Amorim quickly signed Diallo to a new five-year contract.
"Amad Diallo did very well. It's a great moment for a young player to score a hat-trick for a club like this," Amorim said of Diallo after the win over Southampton.
Diallo's timely brilliance, however, could not mask the fact that the Red Devils were in a poor form. Southampton travelled to Old Trafford without a win since November and without an away win all season. However, they were the better team in the opening 45 minutes and United were lucky to only be one goal behind.
"We didn't play well but if you look at all the chances we created, I think we deserved to win. In the first half, we were slow in every phase, tried to press too high and suffered the consequences," added the Portuguese strategist.
Perhaps Amorim wishes United had more than one Diallo. He needs more players with energy and the ability to press the pitch. The problem is, with little room to make changes in the January transfer window, Amorim will have to make do with what he has.
As the euphoria of a dramatic win wears off, Amorim will be hit with a harsh reality. They struggled to beat a bottom-of-the-table side, so what will happen next against formidable opponents?
Clearly, United will struggle for the remainder of the campaign, and until a major overhaul of the squad can be made, Amorim will need Diallo to continue to shine.
