Amad Diallo’s Sunderland loan another blow to faltering Man Utd career
Robin Bairner
- 31 Aug 2022 09:42 BST
- 3 min read
Amad Diallo appears likely to be heading to Sunderland on loan, with Manchester United in advanced talks with the Championship side.
Signed in January 2020 for €21 million from Serie A outfit Atalanta, Amad was considered to be a wonderkid, despite failing to play more than a handful of minutes for the Italian club.
He justified his price tag and the hype surrounding him initially with some bright performances in his early days at Old Trafford. However, since then, the Ivory Coast international midfielder has failed to establish himself as any kind of force at Man Utd.
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Amad played just 68 minutes of a meaningless Champions League draw with Young Boys last season for the Red Devils and did not even manage a League Cup appearance because of injury. He was shunted out on loan to Rangers in January but again was only used as a peripheral player for the Scottish Premiership runners-up.
Now back at Man Utd, his career faces a crossroads. With Erik ten Hag not having used him at all this season, a loan is inevitable, but while the 20-year-old would probably have wished to move to another Premier League club, he faces the drop down to the Championship.
Amad's tumbling status
FootballTransfers revealed that Aston Villa are doubtful that he has the capacity to succeed in the Premier League – quite a statement given Villa’s struggles and the transfer fee of on Amad – and that instead it is second-tier clubs who are looking at him.
Even going down a level would be considered a setback for a player who made such an explosive start to life at Old Trafford, but the real possibility of failure means that any move is fraught with hazards. Certainly, more was expected of Amad at Rangers, where he managed three goals in 13 matches but never won the fans over after being withdrawn at half-time in his Old Firm debut.
His problems are reflected in his plummeting transfer value. FootballTransfers now values him at just €1m – a huge drop from the peak estimate of €14m and even further from what Man Utd splashed out on him.
Wherever Amad goes when he leaves Man Utd this summer, he has to work hard to ensure he makes a success of himself, else this might be a blow he cannot recover from.
