From scoring in Sunderland to being the Manchester Derby hero: How Amorim’s United is becoming the ‘Amad Diallo Show’

It was the 90th minute of the 195th Manchester Derby.

Lisandro Martinez launched a searching ball. Amad Diallo made the run. The Ivorian stretched out his preferred left foot. He chipped it away from Ederson, who was already off his line. The 22-year-old volleyed it with a side-footed shot. Josko Gvardiol failed to clear the ball. The net rippled. The visiting fans were sent into a frenzy. The home fans were bereft of words.

This was how Diallo became the hero for Manchester United on Sunday if he already wasn’t quickly becoming a fan favourite.

Two late goals by United skipper Bruno Fernandes and Diallo saw United clinch the bragging rights with a 2-1 win over host Manchester City after the Red Devils had failed to beat their arch-rival last season in the league.

“We wanted to win this game. It was noisy. We tried to score in the first half. We pressed well in the second half. We showed that we can win any game,” a smiling Diallo said.

Under Erik ten Hag, who was sacked by the management after the side’s league defeat to West Ham United, the forward had six appearances in the Premier League, in which he managed two goal contributions.

Diallo’s current purple patch began under Ruud van Nistelrooy, who had taken over the reins from Ten Hag as the interim manager. Since then, the youngster has racked up eight goal contributions across competitions. 

Fearless in attack, defensively hardworking

“He’s been doing well, doing great things. I think there’s still a lot to come from him because we really believe in his quality, we know what he’s capable of doing. When he’s like this, he’s unstoppable,” Fernandes said of his teammate post the win.

Diallo has had to wait a lot for his moment to shine at the Manchester club. After he joined the then-Ole Gunnar Solskjaer-managed side in 2020, he was first playing with the U-23 side. He appeared sporadically for the senior team, which included his maiden goal against AC Milan in the Europa League before he was loaned off to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership in the second half of the 2021-22 season.

There, he scored thrice in 10 appearances before he joined Sunderland on loan ahead of the following season. It was with the Black Cats that the Ivory Coast international could show his potential if given a run of games. In 42 appearances across competitions, Diallo scored 14 and assisted four times for Sunderland.

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While a knee injury kept him sidelined for the Red Devils for the majority of the 2023-24 season, glimpses of his work rate and eye for goal – like his winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinal and his maiden Premier League goal against Newcastle United – held promise for his future at the club.

“He’s been the biggest plus since the new manager came in,” former United captain Roy Keane was heard saying post the derby. “He’s got a bit of energy, a bit of quality, young trade, learning his trade, obviously you hope he stays grounded.”

Amorim’s teams are known to have dynamic wingers/wing-backs who can attack and defend with equal vigour. And Diallo has made a fine case for himself to become a mainstay of the Portuguese’s side. This was seen during United’s 1-1 draw against Ipswich, where he occupied the right wing-back position.

“He’s also versatile,” added former City player Micah Richards. He can play front-three, he can play wing-back. I think he’s been the best player for Man United this season. I enjoy watching him, the way he runs behind, the way he isn’t afraid to go at somebody.”

In Amorim’s first Premier League match, Diallo had 71 touches throughout the match. Despite having to carry out his defensive duties as the right wing-back, Diallo even managed to assist his side’s only goal of the night.

Against Everton, he had 72 touches, almost equally spread across both sides of the halfway line. On the night, he assisted twice.

Displaying his relentless work rate, Diallo assisted Joshua Zirkzee and Marcus Rashford apart from defending up and down the right flank. Data by Whoscored.com; Graphic by Lavanya Lakshminarayanan

In United’s defeat to Nottingham Forest, while he continued to be in the wing-back role, Diallo’s position showed that he was mostly looking forward. He bagged an assist.

He assisted Bruno Fernandes in Manchester United’s second goal of the match. Data by Whoscored.com; Graphic by Lavanya Lakshminarayanan

For the first time, Amorim started Diallo as part of the front three. Seeing out the match, the winger had lesser touches (50) as compared to when he was expected to track back as well, but managed to be heavily involved in United’s crucial moments. This lends a nod to the youngster’s effectiveness as well.

Apart from winning the penalty for United, Diallo scored the winner against City in the Manchester Derby. Data by Whoscored.com; Graphic by Lavanya Lakshminarayanan

With the player’s contract set to expire in June 2025, with an option to extend for another year, the club’s fans would hope that media reports suggesting the possibility of a longer deal come to fruition.