Amad Diallo | Sunderland Loan Watch

We still regularly have Pellistri and Elanga on the bench who I think everyone expects Amad to clearly be a level above. Antony gets substituted almost every game whether it is for Sancho, Garnacho, or to move Bruno out there. There is plenty of time between the league and cups for him to prove himself. He doesn't need to play 90 minutes every week to develop for us. Look how much Garnacho has proven with the relatively limited amount of game time he has had.

Not really sure what he gets out of a season on loan to a lower level premier league side. Worst case scenario, he barely gets any minutes and is in a team playing a completely different style of football. Best case, he plays regularly but still has to adapt when he joins us the following year and we are also without a back up right wing option for next season, which is currently open competition between an underwhelming Sancho, an unproven Pellistri, and Elanga who is not good enough.

Very good post. You've convinced me.
 
Very good post. You've convinced me.

The problem is that Amad has played in 40+ games for Sunderland this season.

He will be extremely frustrated seeing his career stalling if he gets like maybe 10 starts sprinkled with another 10-15 sub appearances next season. (I dont think he's at the same development level as Antony... yet plus I expect Antony to improve next season.)
 
The problem is that Amad has played in 40+ games for Sunderland this season.

He will be extremely frustrated seeing his career stalling if he gets like maybe 10 starts sprinkled with another 10-15 sub appearances next season. (I dont think he's at the same development level as Antony... yet plus I expect Antony to improve next season.)
Yes exactly. Having played all these games this season, he's gotta get a similar amount next season as well, to continue his development.
 
Would be very disappointed if he is not part of our first team next season, we take off Antony around 60th min mark and then our team play usually goes down a level. Amad has can offer what Antony does and also adds more goal threat/playmaking from RW.

Him and Garnacho as regular subs and few starts should be fine for next season.
 
Yes exactly. Having played all these games this season, he's gotta get a similar amount next season as well, to continue his development.

Amad's a talent. He is our latest new shiny object but his impact won't be as instant as Garnashers'. Not that sort of player. His skillsets; playmaking RW/attacking Mid need to be nurtured and slowly integrated into the team.
Thats why we need to take a long-term approach for Amad.
 
14 goals, 3 assists. Played basically without injuries whole season.
Must stay next season. Excellent cover for Antony.
 
Amad's a talent. He is our latest new shiny object but his impact won't be as instant as Garnashers'. Not that sort of player. His skillsets; playmaking RW/attacking Mid need to be nurtured and slowly integrated into the team.
Thats why we need to take a long-term approach for Amad.
Why is that?
 
Why is that?

If you look at his progression at Sunderland, it took a good 2-3 months before he found his rhythm and before his teammates figured out his playing style. He was never given that opportunity or rope to do that at Rangers -- and I suspect he won't either at United where expectations are 10 times higher than at Roker Park.

He needs to add more to his footballing education & experience before he is expected to compete at United.

Coming on as a sub is difficult enough for anyone to get any rhythm, especially the way he plays if he wants to contribute. He's a more sophisticated player than a Ganarcho who is a lot more direct with pace to burn. Amad thrives with players creating spaces and moving into spaces -- closer to Sancho :nervous: than he is Antony or Ganarcho.
 
If you look at his progression at Sunderland, it took a good 2-3 months before he found his rhythm and before his teammates figured out his playing style. He was never given that opportunity or rope to do that at Rangers -- and I suspect he won't either at United where expectations are 10 times higher than at Roker Park.

He needs to add more to his footballing education & experience before he is expected to compete at United.

Coming on as a sub is difficult enough for anyone to get any rhythm, especially the way he plays if he wants to contribute. He's a more sophisticated player than a Ganarcho who is a lot more direct with pace to burn. Amad thrives with players creating spaces and moving into spaces -- closer to Sancho :nervous: than he is Antony or Ganarcho.
That's not necessarily a bad thing if he's got work rate
 
The problem is that Amad has played in 40+ games for Sunderland this season.

He will be extremely frustrated seeing his career stalling if he gets like maybe 10 starts sprinkled with another 10-15 sub appearances next season. (I dont think he's at the same development level as Antony... yet plus I expect Antony to improve next season.)

But that’s exactly the path most young players follow, they do well in a championship team or similar then get slowly pushed into a premier league team.

Antony was tearing it up at Ajax, sancho was tearing it up at Dortmund to the points we spent a fortune on each of them and both have struggled at times this season at United.

There is plenty of games in a season there is enough for amad to develop while Antony plays most games.

Sending him on loan repeatedly until he comes back good enough to play his chosen position all the time simply isn’t going to work.

I think he develops more playing 10 games for United sprinkled in with a fair few starts than he does playing at a Sunderland or similar next season.
 
I like Diallo, and he obviously has a future ahead of him in the top flight, be it at United or somewhere else.

There is, however, a great deal of goal/assist bias with him, as well as Twitter highlights bias, which is normal, since most United fans have barely watched him play for 90 minutes, as they don't watch Sunderland matches.

Although he has racked up a very commendable goal points tally for Sunderland, his overall game still needs lots of improving.

He could do with being more press resistant, an even better passer, better presser, and so on. Although he has good player ratings throughout the season, a lot of that is goal bias. It happens a lot with players who are quite average in games, but then nicks a goal or scores a worldie. They'll get an 8/10, whereas their overall performance was more like a 6/10. This happens frequently with Rashford, as a perfect example.

If you regularly watch Amad for 90 minutes, it's very obvious that he is still a far cry from being good enough to warrant a start in a team looking to fight for the biggest trophies.
And with the talent he has, he still has 2-3 years to hit that level.

I suspect he won't be at United in 2-3 years. He seems really good, and certainly much better than Elanga. He has a fantastic precision shot on him, that is undeniable!

But, from the full matches I've watched, I am not overly impressed with his overall play. It's good, but I don't think it will be quite good enough for what we need, and how we will be looking to evolve under ten Hag.
 
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Good post. So far Amad is a highlights player, bit like Pogba during his time at Juventus at a higher level and we all know how his time at United went.

Best case scenario remains Sunderland somehow getting promoted and Amad going on loan there for another season. We can also sell them a couple of other players!
 
Loan him to a PL club next season , the club needs to just pick the right club to suit his attributes.
 
I like Diallo, and he obviously has a future ahead of him in the top flight, be it at United or somewhere else.

There is, however, a great deal of goal/assist bias with him, as well as Twitter highlights bias, which is normal, since most United fans have barely watched him play for 90 minutes, as they don't watch Sunderland matches.

Although he has racked up a very commendable goal points tally for Sunderland, his overall game still needs lots of improving.

He could do with being more press resistant, an even better passer, better presser, and so on. Although he has good player ratings throughout the season, a lot of that is goal bias. It happens a lot with players who are quite average in games, but then nicks a goal or scores a worldie. They'll get an 8/10, whereas their overall performance was more like a 6/10. This happens frequently with Rashford, as a perfect example.

If you regularly watch Amad for 90 minutes, it's very obvious that he is still a far cry from being good enough to warrant a start in a team looking to fight for the biggest trophies.
And with the talent he has, he still has 2-3 years to hit that level.

I suspect he won't be at United in 2-3 years. He seems really good, and certainly much better than Elanga. He has a fantastic precision shot on him, that is undeniable!

But, from the full matches I've watched, I am not overly impressed with his overall play. It's good, but I don't think it will be quite good enough for what we need, and how we will be looking to evolve under ten Hag.
Watching him at the tail end of the season is probably not a great indicator of his general involvement in games.

Because of his constant threat he has been overplayed culminating in him having to have a few games off with what Tony Mowbray basically described as exhaustion.
Just after the World Cup break he was pressing more, having the most touches and covering more ground per game but I feel that he has been relieved of some of these duties to enable him to play a full 90 mins twice a week (the way we have managed Rashford's workload).

His press resistance is excellent (it is very difficult to get the ball off him without fouling) but, at Championship level, his obvious threat has resulted in him being double marked. If you don't dispossess him really early then he's likely to do something creative.

His passing range is superb as is his football brain, especially for someone of 20 years old.

His overall game is excellent, any development needed is physical but even that has improved drastically with him playing men's football regularly.
 
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I like Diallo, and he obviously has a future ahead of him in the top flight, be it at United or somewhere else.

There is, however, a great deal of goal/assist bias with him, as well as Twitter highlights bias, which is normal, since most United fans have barely watched him play for 90 minutes, as they don't watch Sunderland matches.

Although he has racked up a very commendable goal points tally for Sunderland, his overall game still needs lots of improving.

He could do with being more press resistant, an even better passer, better presser, and so on. Although he has good player ratings throughout the season, a lot of that is goal bias. It happens a lot with players who are quite average in games, but then nicks a goal or scores a worldie. They'll get an 8/10, whereas their overall performance was more like a 6/10. This happens frequently with Rashford, as a perfect example.

If you regularly watch Amad for 90 minutes, it's very obvious that he is still a far cry from being good enough to warrant a start in a team looking to fight for the biggest trophies.
And with the talent he has, he still has 2-3 years to hit that level.

I suspect he won't be at United in 2-3 years. He seems really good, and certainly much better than Elanga. He has a fantastic precision shot on him, that is undeniable!

But, from the full matches I've watched, I am not overly impressed with his overall play. It's good, but I don't think it will be quite good enough for what we need, and how we will be looking to evolve under ten Hag.

I agree with some of your points, maybe not all. I’ve seen a couple of Sunderland games. Diallo scored in one, not in the other. I agree he is not ready for United yet, and I agree he has more to improve on, but It doesn’t fit with your picture of goal bias or overrating to me.

In both the games, he was one of or the most effectively dangerous player of the team. He was very important to the team’s general play, as he would be an outlet who almost never misplaced a pass and seldom lost the ball in critical phases. He allowed them to retain possesion in attacking play.

Compared to Patrick Roberts, he is more cautious on and with the ball, and less demanding of it when he doesn’t have it. He needs to improve this. His sense of urgency needs to improve, and my giess is that a combo of increased confidence and better players around him will help a lot.
Wether he has the temperament in him to reach David Silva levels is an open question, but I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get to Juan Mata’s level at some point or other, maybe that sounds weird, as there’s not much between Silva and Mata at their best.
 
14 goals, 3 assists. Played basically without injuries whole season.
Must stay next season. Excellent cover for Antony.

I think he had a little dip in form early in the year, not exactly an injury, but Mowbray kept him out of the team for a few weeks, which was very wise.
 
The problem is that Amad has played in 40+ games for Sunderland this season.

He will be extremely frustrated seeing his career stalling if he gets like maybe 10 starts sprinkled with another 10-15 sub appearances next season. (I dont think he's at the same development level as Antony... yet plus I expect Antony to improve next season.)
I see him as competition for Sancho. I remember when we signed him the Italian journalists said he was capable of playing across the front 3
 
Come on diallo, get Sunderland back in the prem and come back to us having achieved something!
 
I agree with some of your points, maybe not all. I’ve seen a couple of Sunderland games. Diallo scored in one, not in the other. I agree he is not ready for United yet, and I agree he has more to improve on, but It doesn’t fit with your picture of goal bias or overrating to me.

In both the games, he was one of or the most effectively dangerous player of the team. He was very important to the team’s general play, as he would be an outlet who almost never misplaced a pass and seldom lost the ball in critical phases. He allowed them to retain possesion in attacking play.

Compared to Patrick Roberts, he is more cautious on and with the ball, and less demanding of it when he doesn’t have it. He needs to improve this. His sense of urgency needs to improve, and my giess is that a combo of increased confidence and better players around him will help a lot.
Wether he has the temperament in him to reach David Silva levels is an open question, but I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get to Juan Mata’s level at some point or other, maybe that sounds weird, as there’s not much between Silva and Mata at their best.

I think the issue that I have (and others here) with the entire "he's not ready for United" thought process is that he plays a position in which we have exactly one other candidate who's been largely underwhelming in his own right. The conversation would be different if this was a LW tearing up the Championship with Rashford ahead of him in the main team. But Antony has shown to be quite limited in areas that Amad would improve us, so while neither is a perfect option I think Amad if given a fair shake would be an excellent squad option that would get plenty of minutes here next season.
 
Excited for this tonight, fingers crossed for the lad.
 
Excited for this tonight, fingers crossed for the lad.

He'll probably have a quiet night and we'll have loads of posters who are watching him for the first time this season come in and say he's not ready.

Loans are tough, be spectacular and it's written off as 'we'll it's not a top club' and/or have an off game and you get written off.
 
Love the atmosphere and drama in these playoffs! Both players and fans are full of adrenaline
 
He is clearly a level above other the other attackers on the pitch (as you would expect given his transfer fee).
 
14 goals, 3 assists. Played basically without injuries whole season.
Must stay next season. Excellent cover for Antony.
Maddison had 14 goals and 8 assists in 42 starts and 2 came as sub, while Olise had 7 goals and 12 assists in 37 starts and 7 came as sub before they moved to PL clubs and became regular.

Amad had similar return in 29 starts and 10 came as sub. I think that's good number and good indication that he is good enough to be in our squad next season and provide challenge to other players.

If we can get Frimpong as our right back, it will help to take away big pressure from his shoulder to do the attacking duty on that right flank.
 
I like Diallo, and he obviously has a future ahead of him in the top flight, be it at United or somewhere else.

There is, however, a great deal of goal/assist bias with him, as well as Twitter highlights bias, which is normal, since most United fans have barely watched him play for 90 minutes, as they don't watch Sunderland matches.

Although he has racked up a very commendable goal points tally for Sunderland, his overall game still needs lots of improving.

He could do with being more press resistant, an even better passer, better presser, and so on. Although he has good player ratings throughout the season, a lot of that is goal bias. It happens a lot with players who are quite average in games, but then nicks a goal or scores a worldie. They'll get an 8/10, whereas their overall performance was more like a 6/10. This happens frequently with Rashford, as a perfect example.

If you regularly watch Amad for 90 minutes, it's very obvious that he is still a far cry from being good enough to warrant a start in a team looking to fight for the biggest trophies.
And with the talent he has, he still has 2-3 years to hit that level.

I suspect he won't be at United in 2-3 years. He seems really good, and certainly much better than Elanga. He has a fantastic precision shot on him, that is undeniable!

But, from the full matches I've watched, I am not overly impressed with his overall play. It's good, but I don't think it will be quite good enough for what we need, and how we will be looking to evolve under ten Hag.
Admitedly I have only seen highlights, but some highlights are just him playing and tend to agree with you. If his highlights on the ball only amount to a 3/4 minute video in a particular match, then he is way off a starter for us. Its not as if they have been full of dribbling or shooting either. Most have been 5/10 yard passes.
 
I like Diallo, and he obviously has a future ahead of him in the top flight, be it at United or somewhere else.

There is, however, a great deal of goal/assist bias with him, as well as Twitter highlights bias, which is normal, since most United fans have barely watched him play for 90 minutes, as they don't watch Sunderland matches.

Although he has racked up a very commendable goal points tally for Sunderland, his overall game still needs lots of improving.

He could do with being more press resistant, an even better passer, better presser, and so on. Although he has good player ratings throughout the season, a lot of that is goal bias. It happens a lot with players who are quite average in games, but then nicks a goal or scores a worldie. They'll get an 8/10, whereas their overall performance was more like a 6/10. This happens frequently with Rashford, as a perfect example.

If you regularly watch Amad for 90 minutes, it's very obvious that he is still a far cry from being good enough to warrant a start in a team looking to fight for the biggest trophies.
And with the talent he has, he still has 2-3 years to hit that level.

I suspect he won't be at United in 2-3 years. He seems really good, and certainly much better than Elanga. He has a fantastic precision shot on him, that is undeniable!

But, from the full matches I've watched, I am not overly impressed with his overall play. It's good, but I don't think it will be quite good enough for what we need, and how we will be looking to evolve under ten Hag.
A 20 year old… can improve…?
 
Admitedly I have only seen highlights, but some highlights are just him playing and tend to agree with you. If his highlights on the ball only amount to a 3/4 minute video in a particular match, then he is way off a starter for us. Its not as if they have been full of dribbling or shooting either. Most have been 5/10 yard passes.

I've watched a lot of him at Sunderland this season and his all round game is really slick, yes he has plenty of development ahead of him and you could argue a Premier League loan next season would be more beneficial than being a squad player with us but I don't think he's that far away.

I think the craving for him to come back and be a part of our squad is more a reflection of the frustration felt with our attacking, creative players and their inability to retain possession and create in the final third.

This season has basically been his first full season, if we can loan him to a PL club where he'll play regularly next season I'd definitely be a fan of that approach. We'll then know has he got what it takes or not.
 
Admitedly I have only seen highlights, but some highlights are just him playing and tend to agree with you. If his highlights on the ball only amount to a 3/4 minute video in a particular match, then he is way off a starter for us. Its not as if they have been full of dribbling or shooting either. Most have been 5/10 yard passes.
[/QUOTE
What is the bar for a starter for us? 4:30 minutes? 5:00 minutes?
 
I think with Amad, the club need to discuss what the correct thing for next year will be very thoroughly. I do not doubt he would be a good squad option for us. In the games I've seen, he has stood out when it comes to ability. He is involved in goals quite frequently, he participates in good attacks for Sunderland and seems to have both vision and passing ability, while also having very quick and agile movement.

The question which should be asked though, is whether staying at United as a squad option or playing a full season on loan is the preferrable option. This year, Mowbray gave him a break (was it 3-4 games?) because he was not ready for a full professional season. This indicates that he needs to have at least one full season before he is where he should be physically. If he needs to start 40 games next season, he should go on loan, and I suspect that is the case here.
 
Watched him all season for Sunderland - at least 15-20 near full games. Highlights player my arse. It’s the movement and quality outside of the highlights that’s impressive. He regularly looked too good for that level and his limitations were as much about the environment - the physicality of opponents, his team mates and the formation then what he was capable of. He often lacked a forward option unless he is driving with the ball himself which has been difficult because he has been shadowed most of the season. He was also bolloxed from quite early on - he went from nothing to starting every game in a physical league quite quickly. My overall confidence in him stems from, as Mowbray pointed out, he rarely makes bad decisions which is huge - even though his execution could improve.

whether he fits at Utd is a different question as whether of not he has the ability to play at the top level which I think he has with some more development. We have seen many “top” players turn to shite in a Utd shirt.

He has earned his chance in the squad. Give him a good rest and IMO he will come alive with better players and a better structure around him. He looks like what we thought we were getting with Sancho. Tight control, press resistant, excellent decision making and can be a real alternative to just zombie passing against a low block. Him and Garnacho would be exciting to watch in those games. He will put defenders on the back foot and draw fouls. He will be a great addition to the squad - but needs to be given a proper opportunity.

pre season so important.
 
I would hope seeing more highlights like Garnacho type form in regards to Amad. Hes scored some great goals, just not been that impressed with the other highlights. Dont think hes ready to step up to first team yet. Not saying he wont be a good un for us eventually.
 
Watched him all season for Sunderland - at least 15-20 near full games. Highlights player my arse. It’s the movement and quality outside of the highlights that’s impressive. He regularly looked too good for that level and his limitations were as much about the environment - the physicality of opponents, his team mates and the formation then what he was capable of. He often lacked a forward option unless he is driving with the ball himself which has been difficult because he has been shadowed most of the season. He was also bolloxed from quite early on - he went from nothing to starting every game in a physical league quite quickly. My overall confidence in him stems from, as Mowbray pointed out, he rarely makes bad decisions which is huge - even though his execution could improve.

whether he fits at Utd is a different question as whether of not he has the ability to play at the top level which I think he has with some more development. We have seen many “top” players turn to shite in a Utd shirt.

He has earned his chance in the squad. Give him a good rest and IMO he will come alive with better players and a better structure around him. He looks like what we thought we were getting with Sancho. Tight control, press resistant, excellent decision making and can be a real alternative to just zombie passing against a low block. Him and Garnacho would be exciting to watch in those games. He will put defenders on the back foot and draw fouls. He will be a great addition to the squad - but needs to be given a proper opportunity.

pre season so important.
Thank you, i have also seen quite a lot of him this season and fully agree with you.
They played against Fulham this season as well and i think Amad looked the same player. So pretty sure he can do well against premier league sides as well.

Biggest problem for us is of course the bolded part.