Manchester United won the derby against City over the weekend and Amad Diallo has been praised for his work rate and quality under Michael Carrick
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer always spoke highly of Amad Diallo(Image: Photo by Kacper Pempel - Pool/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
When Manchester United spent £37million on 18-year-old Ivorian winger Amad Diallo from Atalanta, it's fair to say there were a few raised eyebrows around Old Trafford.
The youngster was signed under former United man Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and has proven to be a shrewd addition. A regular in the first team, he performed well in the Manchester derby as Michael Carrick registered a fantastic first victory at the helm. Speaking after the match, Carrick said to Sky Sports: "I am not going to say too much with respect to Pep, he is such an incredible coach and it is such a good team.
"It is not for me to pick them apart publicly. We wanted to play to our strengths. The two wide lads, Amad and Dorgu, were fantastic both ways."
United legend Wayne Rooney, like Carrick, also praised the work rate of Dorgu and Amad over the weekend. He said: "I thought Amad and Dorgu on the wings were excellent, the work rate they put in to help the full-backs out and they got into a compact shape, which I spoke about, and hit Man City on the break."
Like Carrick and Rooney, former boss Solskjaer also thinks highly of Amad. During his time at United, Solskjaer had targeted Erling Haaland, Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo, all of whom would walk into the current United side, but one player he did get his hands on was Amad.
Solskjaer tipped Amad for a bright future from the very beginning, shortly after signing him. "As a club, we have followed Amad for a number of years, and having watched him myself, I believe he is one of the most exciting young prospects in the game," he said.
"Manchester United has such a proud history of developing young players and everything is in place to enable Amad to reach his potential here.
"It will take time for him to adapt but his speed, vision and fantastic dribbling ability will stand him in good stead to make the transition. He is a player with all of the raw attributes that are needed to be an important player for Manchester United in the years to come."
Amad Diallo of Manchester United
Amad Diallo has been a solid player for Manchester United(Image: Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Amad is also a player that Carrick has previously praised at United. During his other spell as United caretaker in late 2021, the 44-year-old worked with the winger for the first time.
Then, when Amad was on loan at Sunderland and Carrick in the hot seat for Middlesbrough, Amad scored the decisive second goal in the 2-0 win and earned praise from Carrick afterwards.
"He does what he does," said Carrick at the time. "He's really talented, Amad. Good in tight spaces and does what he does with the ball.
"For the goal, that's what he brings and I think that's what he's maybe brought a bit more is his end product from when I knew him when he was a little bit younger a couple of years ago. He's doing really well.
Further praise saw Carrick brand him a "terrific footballer" and observed that the winger had "jumped a level again"
Amad also thinks highly of Carrick, too, noting the importance of donning the ex-England international's jersey. He said: "When I was told that I was getting the No. 16 shirt, I was happy because I know that Michael Carrick had previously worn that shirt for a long time and so it is a number worn by a legend of the club. So I have to respect the number and the players who wore it before me."