Michael Carrick stresses how important Amad Diallo is to Manchester United after acknowledging the improvement he has made since joining the club as a young prospect from Atalanta.
It has been five years since Amad Diallo completed his transfer to Manchester United.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge of United at the time, which means Michael Carrick was working at the club as one of the backroom staff.
Amad was 18 at the time and was later sent on loan to Rangers and Sunderland before breaking into United’s first team and becoming an influential star.
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Michael Carrick celebrates after the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in 2026 in Liverpool, England.
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Michael Carrick press conference before facing Newcastle
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Michael Carrick complimentary of Amad Diallo’s role at Man Utd
Amad has played a key role for United this season, even when Ruben Amorim utilised the Ivory Coast international as a wing-back.
The 23-year-old featured in every Premier League fixture under interim head coach Carrick before being named on the bench for United’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Forward Benjamin Sesko took his spot in the starting line-up and scored United’s winning goal against the Eagles.
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Amad came off the bench for 15 minutes and touched the ball 16 times, coming close to adding to United’s lead after cutting in from the right flank and shooting from distance.
When speaking to reporters at Carrington on Tuesday afternoon, Carrick was asked about Amad’s role in the team, with the suggestion that players will lose their place in the team if standards drop.
“It depends how you look at it,” Carrick said.
“I understand what you’re saying, the competition, in terms of pushing each other, performance-wise, is important. It just pushes the level up.
“It keeps you playing on the edge, but not from week to week, where we’re really a fan of certain players, all of a sudden, and then, next week, you’re on the bench, and we don’t like you anymore. It’s really not that. It’s a little bit on certain games, certain types, certain strengths.
“Amad has been massive for us, massive for us. So it’s not a major downside that he didn’t start. He’s a big player for us. That’s our approach to it and the boys have been fantastic.
“I know it’s ended up keeping consistency with the team, but it doesn’t mean we can’t change things around or mean it’s a big fall-out or someone has had a bad game so they’re out of the team. It’s not necessarily that at all.
“The boys have been really good and the flexibility and rotations means we can change things around that’s great for us.”
Carrick added that Amad is a ‘dream’ to work with, after seeing him progress from the days he arrived at the club.
He said: “He’s another one, Amad, who is such a dream to work with. His attitude is so positive. He wants to learn, he wants to keep pushing. He asks for more – ‘what can I do more?’ or ‘how can I improve?’
“He is desperate to do well and has been a huge part of the team. It will be the eye-catching bits sometimes, the bits we know he can bring, but, other times, it’s his work off the ball, defending. It’s huge to be able to do that for that kind of player.
“So he’s got a lot of attributes, Amad, and the way he came on didn’t surprise me. He’s been so positive all week so it didn’t surprise me.”
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Michael Carrick asked about staying at Man Utd
Belief grows with every win that Carrick could remain at Old Trafford beyond this season.
Carrick has won six of his first seven games since becoming United head coach in January, which means he has helped boost the chances of securing Champions League qualification ahead of next season.
The 44-year-old was asked whether he thinks he has a better chance now following recent results.
He added: “It’s going to be every week, isn’t it? There’s no getting away from the situation, of course there’s not, and there’s not really an awful lot I can say about it, to be honest.
“I love being here, doing what I’m doing. I said from the start, I’m not making any decisions for short-term quick fixes. The responsibility, for however long I’m here, is to make decisions that are the best for the football club in the long term.
“Of course, listen, winning games helps and the boys are doing great with that. Let’s see where it ends up. There is not really much I can say or give you, on top of that, at the moment.”
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