Man Utd's 'next Cristiano Ronaldo' waited three years for chance to shine
Manchester United starlet Amad could provide Erik ten Hag with a major trump card for the remainder of the season - exactly three years after joining the club to major fanfare.
The Red Devils won the race for the Ivorian prodigy's signature back on this day bac in 2021, with the forward having earned a burgeoning reputation in the Atalanta youth set-up. After moving to Old Trafford for an initial £19m, he has been unable to establish himself in the first team since his blockbuster move.
However, his bright cameo off the bench in United's 2-1 defeat against Nottingham Forest in late December served as a reminder of the 21-year-old's qualities. Having excelled while on loan at Sunderland last term, notching 13 times in 37 outings in the Championship, hopes were high that he could make the breakthrough this season.
An injury sustained in a pre-season game against Arsenal on the club's tour of the US over the summer derailed his progress, though, sidelining him until late December. Now on the comeback trail, the winger's abilities on the flank could provide the struggling Premier League giants with another option.
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Currently languishing in a lowly 8th place in the table, United boss Ten Hag will be hoping that Diallo's return can present him with what effectively would feel like a new signing. His lively substitute appearance at the City Ground was only his 10th outing for the club's first team.
However, his success while on loan with the Black Cats last season does suggest that he remains a prospect of real note for United moving forward. After all, it is only three years ago that figures including Old Trafford great Rio Ferdinand were heralding Amad's arrival at the club.
Speaking back in 2021, the former England stalwart even compared his move to the club to that of Cristiano Ronaldo back in 2003. The Portuguese superstar arrived at United with a growing reputation following his breakthrough at Sporting Lisbon and made an immediate impression in his first few months in England.
Cristiano Ronaldo made an immediate impression on his Manchester United debut versus Bolton Wanderers in 2003Three years ago, Ferdinand said: "We've just bought a kid in from Atalanta and hopefully he does something. If you see his clips and speak to people at the club who are involved in buying him, potentially this kid could be a world-beater. That is the thought of Manchester United people that this kid is one the y have unearthed.
"I don't want to put the pressure of Cristiano Ronaldo on him, but no-one knew about Ronaldo when we bought him other than the people in Portugal. This kid seems similar in that sense and if you see his clips and the way people talk about him, the world is his oyster if he applies himself right."
Former Atalanta teammate Alejandro Gomez was similarly left impressed with the prospect during their time together in Bergamo. Adding to the compared him with Ronaldo's long-term nemesis. He said: "He’s [Amad] a future star, trust me. During our training, he seems like [Lionel] Messi! You can’t stop him."
Issuing his response to this high praise, the youngster appeared to laugh off these comparisons, however. Instead, he humbly suggested that the Argentina hero is in a league of his own, saying: "I know they said this [that I was like Lionel Messi in training] but no-one plays like Messi."
After waiting three years for his chance, Amad could now get the opportunity to prove Ferdinand's Ronaldo comparisons right and show why United invested so much to acquire his services.
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