In the remaining weeks of the season, Manchester United still has a lot to play for. Erik ten Hag’s team is hoping to keep up their push for Champions League qualification, and additional hardware for the Carabao Cup winners could be up for grabs in the FA Cup and Europa League.
The former Ajax manager will prioritize this grueling and exhausting stretch of games on those three fronts, but focus will soon shift to next season and how the United team will develop.
Amad Diallo, a 20-year-old sensation from the Ivory Coast, needs to be considered carefully because he spent the current season on loan at Sunderland in the second division.
The rumor is that the former Atalanta player, who was signed by the Red Devils on an initial £19 million deal in 2020, could be a member of Ten Hag’s squad next season, with the Dutchman ‘open’ to including the winger as part of his first-team plans, as Manchester Evening News reported earlier this week.
Given that both Facundo Pellistri and Anthony Elanga may be transferred this summer, either permanently or on loan, there will likely be a vacancy to challenge the £86 million man Antony on the right flank, with young Amad possibly the best candidate.
At Man United, who might Amad succeed?
Not only Pellistri and Elanga, but also misfiring dud Jadon Sancho is poised to be a potential victim of that promotion if Ten Hag were to bring the exciting talent back into the fold.
According to the MEN report, the United manager believes that Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho are the ‘primary options’ on the left flank, while Sancho is more or less considered a backup option and Amad could enter to compete with Antony on the other side.
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According to journalist Jason Soutar, the England international has arguably been something of a “flop” since his £73 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund back in the summer of 2021, having scored just ten goals and provided just five assists in 68 games on all fronts.
It is easy to understand why Ten Hag is rumored to be growing ‘increasingly impatient’ with the quick-footed dynamo given the London-born enigma’s season goal involvement total of seven, which is even lower than that of divisive midfielder Fred (11).
Amad’s return for the 2023–24 season could be the deciding factor in Sancho’s time at the club because the youngster has already proven his talent at the Stadium of Light. Sancho, who has also played in the number ten position this season, has yet to find a permanent position.
The diminutive playmaker has “jumped up a level” since the previous campaign, according to ex-United player Michael Carrick, and has already scored 12 goals and contributed three assists in 33 Championship games.
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Due to his outstanding performance, Tony Mowbray, the manager of the Black Cats, has praised the highly-regarded superstar as a “amazing footballer” and said that the forward “finds the game too easy sometimes” because of his talent.
It should be next season before the three-cap menace is unleashed back at his parent club because a chance to shine in the Premier League has been more than due for the dynamic “wizard” – as praised by journalist James Copley.
As a result, Sancho’s time at Old Trafford may be coming to an end with Ten Hag having access to Rashford, Garnacho, and Antony on either flank.
