Amad Diallo: Manchester United winger has 'one of the best weeks in my life'

Even Manchester United's own social media team almost seemed to give up. On every Premier League match night, clubs strive for engagement. But sometimes, this effort seems to fall flat.

About ten minutes after Manchester United's 3-1 victory over Southampton, they pushed out a notification: "The result might be obvious, but the vote is still open." They, like everyone in attendance, knew who the man of the match would be. At that point, Amad Diallo hadn't even left the pitch. After picking up the match ball and receiving the cheers from all four stands of Old Trafford, the Ivorian was quickly ushered to a makeshift broadcast desk at the side of the pitch to discuss his monumental achievement: leveling the score eight minutes from time and then bagging a brace in stoppage time to secure the victory for Manchester United.

"In football, you have to believe," said the 22-year-old. He was referring to the match itself, but the statement also applies to his entire Manchester United career. By the time Erik ten Hag was sacked on October 28, 2024, Diallo had made only 12 starts since joining the club from Atalanta in 2021. He had spent 18 months on loan at Rangers and Sunderland, and with his contract expiring at the end of this season, there seemed to be no obvious prospect of renewal, aside from triggering an option to avoid him leaving on a free transfer. But now, Diallo's world is completely different.

Since Ten Hag’s departure, Diallo has started 12 games under Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ruben Amorim. He has scored eight goals, including a winning goal against Manchester City, an equalizer against Liverpool, and a 12-minute hat-trick late on against bottom-of-the-table Southampton at home, a match that had threatened to become an embarrassing defeat. He has also signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract. "It is probably one of the best weeks of my life," Diallo told TNT after scoring his first senior hat-trick. "We believed until the end and are happy to win the game. We drew with Arsenal and Liverpool, so the confidence is there."

Diallo was referring to Manchester United's previous two results, both of which, Amorim admitted pre-match, had involved a counter-attacking style that was never going to be applicable at Old Trafford against a team that had previously won just one league game and sat bottom of the table. However, as the game wore on, Amorim’s fears came perilously close to becoming a reality, with the performance as poor as any he has witnessed since leaving Sporting Lisbon to try and sort out the mess at Manchester United. More than anyone, Diallo responded positively to the challenge laid down by Amorim to his squad. Whether as a wide player or an inside forward, he was efficient, industrious, and dared to threaten the opposition goal. No wonder Manchester United officials have now tied him down to a contract until 2030.

Since the start of November, only Mohamed Salah (20) and Alexander Isak (17) have been involved in more Premier League goals than Diallo’s five goals and five assists. But Amorim will not let the performance go to his head. Aware of the potential for young players to get carried away after a small taste of success, the Manchester United manager is determined to keep Diallo grounded. "I didn't say anything to him," said Amorim. "I will tell him tomorrow that he needs to rest, eat good food, and be ready for Sunday [against Brighton] when we need him again."

"He is having a very good season. Congratulations to him. I hope he enjoys tonight because he needs to cherish these moments. But we have to be careful with young kids. This game is gone."