Erik ten Hag handed huge boost as Manchester United star hints at return from injury
Manchester United winger Amad Diallo has hinted that he could make his long-awaited return from injury soon.
Diallo suffered a knee injury during the Red Devils' 2-0 preseason win over Arsenal back on July 22. The Ivorian replaced Antony at half-time, but had to be taken off in the 59th minute.
He has since not featured for United, missing five other preseason games, eight Premier League matches, EFL Cup encounter and two UEFA Champions League fixtures. However, he may finally be close to making his comeback from injury.
On Thursday, October 12, Diallo took to Instagram to post a story of him in Manchester United's locker room wearing their training gear. He captioned it:
"Just a little longer before returning 💪🏽✌🏽️"
While there is still no timeline for Diallo's return, this will be welcome news for Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag. The Dutch tactician has had to deal with various issues in his attacking department this term, with the team scoring only nine goals in eight league games.
Marquee summer arrival Rasmus Hojlund missed their first three Premier League matches with a back injury. The club then let Antony take a leave of absence to deal with allegations of assault levied on him by his ex-girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin. He missed five games across competitions due to that.
Jadon Sancho is currently training with the reserves after a falling out with Ten Hag following the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on September 9. Anthony Martial and Facundo Pellistri have only received limited opportunities so far this term.
Only Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho have played consistently for Manchester United since the start of the campaign. However, the latter has largely come off the bench, while Rashford has scored just one goal in 10 appearances across competitions.
Looking at Amad Diallo's Manchester United career so far
Fans of the Red Devils were optimistic when the club signed Amad Diallo from Atalanta for a fee of around £37.2 million including bonuses in January 2021.
The forward had only spent half a season with the Italian side's senior team at the time, though he had been a part of their youth set-up from 2015. Diallo's record for Atalanta's Primavera team was excellent, though, as he had scored 13 goals and laid out 15 assists in 46 matches.
He played eight times for Manchester United, scoring once in a UEFA Europa League playoff tie against AC Milan. The Ivorian largely spent time with their U21s, recording an excellent six goals and four assists in just five matches for them.
Diallo played only once for United in the 2021-22 season, which remains his most recent appearance for the club. He was loaned out to Rangers for the remainder of the campaign in January, but that spell didn't really work out as he played just 13 matches, recording three goals.
The 21-year-old spent last season on loan with Sunderland in the Championship. This proved out to be a much more fruitful endeavour as he scored 13 goals and laid out four assists in 43 matches across competitions for the team. His displays helped Sunderland reach the Championship playoffs.
Diallo will now hope to break into Manchester United's starting XI once he makes his comeback from injury. It's worth noting that he has less than two years left on his current deal, which expires in June 2025.