This Manchester United team is much changed from the one beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth at Old Trafford last season, but as per Andoni Iraola, the improvement is driven by a player who started that game.
Much has been written about the impact of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Senne Lammens, and, to a lesser extent, Benjamin Sesko.
Those four signings have done well to varying degrees, and they made Man Utd a much better team than the one that surrendered to Bournemouth at Old Trafford last season.
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However, according to Andoni Iraola, one player who started that 0-3 loss for United is as big a factor in the club’s growth as those new signings.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim walks off between Amad Diallo of Manchester United (L) and Lisandro Martinez of Manchester United after the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford on December 22, 2024
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Andoni Iraola stresses Amad’s importance
Bryan Mbeumo is scoring the goals, Matheus Cunha is contributing in everything but scoring, Senne Lammens has lost just one game at Man Utd, but an incumbent player in Amad is impressing Iraola.
Amad started in United’s 0-3 loss to Bournemouth last season at Old Trafford as an attacking midfielder, and couldn’t land a single blow on The Cherries.
United’s attacking performance was anaemic, and their defence was frail as Amad was still getting to grips with a bigger role under Ruben Amorim.
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He had been completely sidelined by Erik ten Hag, so he was coming into his own, and according to Iraola, Amad’s growth this season has driven United’s improvement.
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He said: “The signings they have made up front – Mbeumo, Cunha, Sesko- but especially players like Amad, who is now even more important.
“He is an even bigger threat, and we have to be ready to defend difficult duels for the full-backs and for the centre-backs because you have to defend some very good players in open spaces.”
Amad enjoys space at right wing-back
Amad’s improvement and his blossoming partnership with Mbeumo on the right have been key contributors to United’s success this season.
Part of the credit for the same goes to Amorim, who has solidified Amad as his right wing-back this season, which is a position suiting the player.
Amad has more space to run into from wing-back, and he can combine with Mbeumo and Fernandes down that side instead of running into cul-de-sacs.
There remains a need to improve in the defensive phase, but the threat he provides in attack is a trade-off Amorim more than seems willing to make, and rightly so.
So impressive has he been at wing-back that Amorim wants a player like him on the opposite side as well, diversifying United’s avenue of attack.
It’s poetic that after crying out for a presence on the right for so long, United are in a position where Amad and Mbeumo have made it their go-to wing.
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