Man Utd: Amad Diallo told move was 'bad idea'

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 3 Feb 2023 11:25 GMT
• 3 min read

Former Manchester United player Paul Parker believes it was a ‘bad idea’ for the club to send Amad Diallo on loan to Rangers last season.

The Ivorian youngster has been one of Sunderland's standout players this campaign and is enjoying a great spell on the Black Cats’ return to the Championship.

So far, playing a number of attacking roles, Diallo has scored seven goals in 14 starts.

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Last season, the player was sent on loan to Rangers - where his spell was not as good.

The Scottish Premiership club brought in the forward, who cost the Red Devils £37m in last year’s January transfer. But the 20-year-old struggled for form and consistency.

Rangers mistake

And former Man Utd player Parker has claimed that sanctioning the move to the Ibrox was not worthwhile for the youngster.

“I’ve seen the goals and the assists from Amad Diallo and they’ve been clever goals,” former United star Paul Parker told SpilXperten. “He’s a clever player.”

He continued: “He struggled in Scotland because of the difference in quality and the football that’s played there. What the teams are trying to achieve there is different. It was a bad idea by the person that sent him out to a big club for him to just play. Scotland is completely different.

“However, maybe his struggles at Rangers will be of benefit to him and serve a greater purpose than being out at Sunderland because it showed him a different side of life and football.” Any time he feels his levels may be dropping he should remember what it was like at Rangers. Remember the mental toughness of playing for a big side like Rangers.”

The Premier League giants signed Diallo in October 2020 and he joined the squad in January 2021 from Atalanta. He penned a five-year deal with the option of one more.