The Ivorian starlet sparkled on loan at Sunderland this season…

Arguably the shining light for Manchester United this season has been emerging talisman, Marcus Rashford, with the England international having been far and away the club’s most clinical presence in front goal.

At times it has appeared that the 25-year-old has had to shoulder the goalscoring burden on his own having now scored 29 times in all competitions to date – 18 more than second-highest scorer, Bruno Fernandes.

After a difficult few years for the academy graduate – after notably scoring just four league goals last term – the dynamic forward now looks back to his best, having even been hailed as “unstoppable” by manager Erik ten Hag earlier in the campaign.

There has been talk that the former Ajax boss is keen to add a world-class forward to his ranks this summer in order to help ease the reliance on the in-form Rashford, while a player already on United’s books could also help to provide further firepower next term – Amad Diallo.

Fresh off the back of a scintillating loan spell at Sunderland, the 20-year-old – who has been described as “seriously talented” by BBC pundit Gary Lineker – could force his way into the first-team picture back at Old Trafford in pre-season and beyond.

On the evidence of the forward’s recent form and the wealth of plaudits that have flooded his way, the former Atalanta ace could well be the club’s best young talent since Rashford himself…

How good was Amad Diallo at Sunderland?

As per Manchester Evening News, Amad is set to be part of the travelling party for next month’s FA Cup final despite not actually being part of the squad, with that an indication that Ten Hag is keen to quickly integrate the wing wizard into the senior set-up for next season.

That comes amid what has been a stellar campaign for the diminutive ace at the Stadium of Light, with the wide man having been a “joy to witness”, according to journalist Josh Bunting.

Also hailed as “incredible” by teammate Luke O’Nien, Amad was crucial in the Black Cats’ push for promotion after scoring 13 goals and providing three assists in 37 regular season Championship games, including a stunning, final-day strike away at Preston North End.

While Tony Mowbray’s men ultimately missed out on a place at Wembley after suffering a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Luton Town in the play-off semi-final, the £19m man was instrumental in the first-leg victory, producing a “thing of beauty” – as per Lineker – after curling in from range.

That moment of magic showed just why the “boy is special” – according to Bunting – with now the time to see the 5 foot 8 ace in action back at the Theatre of Dreams, having so far made just nine first-team appearances for United since his arrival in January 2021.

Of course, the Red Devils already have a potential poster boy in Alejandro Garnacho, although it is Amad who has been compared to Lionel Messi in the past by ex-teammate Papu Gomez due to his quality in training, with that a real marker of the Ivorian’s sensational talent.

While technically not an academy asset, the latter gem could well be the next young star to establish himself in the first-team ranks, with the aim of potentially emulating Rashford by cementing a place in the side for the years to come.

Hailed as a “future star” by Gomez, Amad must now begin to realise his exciting potential under Ten Hag during the 2023/24 campaign.

Source: footballfancast