“Manchester City” winner. The equalizing score in Liverpool. And now a hat-trick of victories, a week after signing a new long-term contract with Man Utd.
Amad Diallo has been the shining light of Ruben Amorim’s reign thus far.
“It’s maybe one of the best weeks of my life,” he said TNT Sports after his 12-minute hat-trick changed United history, the first senior hat-trick of his career after conceding just seven days a deal that will keep him at United until 2030.
In a miserable 75 minutes, they lost to the bottom club in the Premier League. Instead, United fans went home singing Amadi’s name. “I’m very happy for this win,” added the Ivorian.
Amad Diallo’s stats against Southampton
Only Wayne Rooney has scored a Premier League hat-trick at a younger age, but even at just 22, Amad is showing his more experienced team-mates how to adapt and thrive in an unfamiliar system.
Whether playing as one of the two strikers supporting the striker or moving to full-back as he did during his latest treble, Amad finds ways to influence Amorim’s 3-4-2-1.
Notably, two of Amad’s six goals this season have been winners and three have been equalisers, not bad for a player who only made three starts in the top flight last season.
Ironically, it is the very man who ignited Amad’s form who belittles his achievements.
“He is having a very good season. And that’s it,” Amorim said at the post-match press conference.
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Ruben Amorim congratulates Amad Diallo on his hat-trick against Southampton but says there is no time for celebrations as he must be rested for the next match against Brighton.
“We have to be careful with the young kids. It was a good job. He has a lot to improve on. We have to prepare for the future.
“He did a great job. It’s a great moment for a young kid to get a hat-trick for a club like this. But he has to focus on the next game because it’s in the past and get ready for the next game.”
Amorim is clearly keen to tame the hype around Amadi, likely due to the difficulty of the wider task at hand, but it’s hard not to be excited by the potential of this rising star for United supporters.
Analysis: Amad steps up again
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Sky Sports’ Anton Tolui and Adam Bate discuss Amad Diallo’s late hat-trick that saved Manchester United against Southampton but also drew attention to concerns about their first-half performance.
Sky Sports’ Adam Bate at Old Trafford.
“Tactically, United were let down by Southampton. Lenny Yoro succumbed to Kamaldin Suleimanan, the pressing against a notoriously error-prone team at the back was uncoordinated throughout and the team’s play was alarming.
“Some of those players are still uncomfortable with what Amorim is asking of them, the coach admits that the demands are the complete opposite of what they’ve been taught. Some may just be inconsistent with what’s required.
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Anthony missed Manchester United’s equalizer against Southampton, but was it a contender to miss the season or just bad timing?
“But you learn more about players and people. Like he did the trick against Manchester City to turn things around.
“He didn’t wait for that to happen. He was forced to take the second goal. The second came with a clever move inside the box. The third was from a gamble.
“He did it as a nominal full-back in Amorim’s system, moved there to cover the absence of the suspended Diogo Dalot. How much his coach would like if everyone in his team could accept the challenges, mentally and tactically, because he has this season.”
Amad Diallo is Man Utd’s top scorer in the Premier League this season
Analysis: Amad’s deal extension is Manchester United’s best transfer business yet
Sky Sports News reporter Anton Tolui at “Old Trafford”.
“There has been so much talk in this transfer window about the futures of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Coby Maino, but locking Amadi up to a new contract seems like the best business Manchester United will do.
“They needed someone who would push, take risks, push forward and take the game away from their opponents. the Ivorian did just that.
“Mainu was sent off early, Garnacho missed key chances, Rashford is nowhere to be seen, but Amad stepped up.”
Amorim. We have so much to do
While Amad’s heroics spared United blushes, Amorim is in no doubt about the scale of the task on his hands.
“The feeling is that we have so much to do,” he said TNT Sports after the game. “I felt that the team is really tired. Liverpool, Arsenal 120 minutes, it’s not just the physical part, the mental part of the players. So it was a win, let’s go on.”
He also pointed to the pressure his players felt playing in front of their own fans. United had lost their last three at Old Trafford; the club have not lost four in a row at home since 1934. Another problem was the team’s struggle to press together with points as Southampton went out in the first half.
“Playing in this stadium, we lost the last three games here, the pressure is different,” he said. “We try to push the opponent into the huddle and you feel the difficulty, then they connect between the lines and cause us a lot of problems.
“At the moment we’re struggling to press high. This team is not used to doing that and then it seems like there’s a lack of enthusiasm. (Manuel) Ugarte is late, Bruno (Fernandez) is out and Ball is out.” is inside and (Lenin) Yoro can’t catch (Sulmana).
“It’s small things and then we get nervous without the ball. But then when you have one goal, one chance, you feel the team can control the game better.
“I want to be honest with my players. It wasn’t a lack of enthusiasm today. It was a lack of control of the game.”
