The Ivorian bagged United’s winning goal against Liverpool (Pictures: The Overlap / Getty)
Gary Neville has questioned Erik ten Hag’s decision not to use Amad Diallo more this season following his tie-winning heroics for Manchester United against Liverpool.
The 21-year-old’s season was disrupted by injury but he returned to fitness at the backend of last year, making his comeback in a Premier League defeat to Nottingham Forest in December.
With Antony struggling for form and Jadon Sancho shipped off to Borussia Dortmund on loan, there have been plenty of opportunities for United attackers to impress.
Yet Amad is still waiting for his first start of the season, while he has been an unused substitute in six of United’s last seven Premier League outings.
Omari Forson actually started ahead of him against Fulham last month, with the 19-year-old contract rebel also preferred off the bench against Manchester City the following week.
But Amad was finally given a chance to show his worth in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool, coming off the bench shortly before the end of normal time and bagging his side’s winner in the 121st minute with a fine, left-footed strike – though he promptly received a second yellow card for taking his shirt off in celebration.
The Ivorian had been expected to play a significant role this season off the back of an excellent campaign in the Championship with Sunderland and Neville feels it is a little strange how under-utilised he has been.
Speaking about Amad’s winner against Liverpool in a segment on Sky Bet’s Stick to Football podcast, Ian Wright said to Neville: ‘I bumped into him last night at a restaurant, Diallo.
Amad bags United’s winning goal against Liverpool (Picture: Getty)
‘You know what I was really surprised with, do you remember when they played Forson in that game a couple of weeks ago?
‘They didn’t start him [Amad] but they started Forson, but then he came on in that game. I was thinking, with his experience at Sunderland and Rangers before, I thought they would have started him.’
Neville agreed that it was a peculiar call from Ten Hag, replying: ‘Over the last month or so it’s been a bit of an odd one that he’s not been given a chance, because obviously a few others have.’
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Explaining Amad’s lack of minutes, Ten Hag said after the win over Liverpool: ‘He is one of the players with a huge setback this season, a bad injury, returning from it, but returning to a team where there is a lot of competition for his position.
‘He does not always get the time to play he deserves by his training performances but then he is coming on, then he shows his contribution, scoring a goal.
‘But we know he can do it, we know he has the key moments where he can decide a game. I am very pleased he got the winner.’
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