Manchester United star Amad Diallo coped with huge personal loss 24 hours before scoring against Brighton as Fabrizio Romano shares touching story
Manchester United star Amad Diallo sadly dealt with the loss of his father's wife before playing in his side's clash with Brighton & Hove Albion today (August 24). The Ivorian was on the scoresheet at the Amex just 24 hours after her passing.
Amad netted in the 60th minute to draw United level after Danny Welbeck's 32nd-minute opener. His celebration was in honor of his father's wife, whom he had always seen as a mother. The 22-year-old pointed up to the heavens when celebrating.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano posted about the situation on his X account. The Italian journalist wrote:
"Amad Diallo lost his father’s wife in the last 24h, who he always saw as a mother. He wanted to play, he told Erik ten Hag that he was available and then Amad ended up scoring a goal. The celebration goes for his mother."
Amad has become an important player for Erik ten Hag and also started in Manchester United's 1-0 win against Fulham in their season opener. Today, he scored his first goal of the season with a deflected effort as the Red Devils raced forward.
"He is not inexperienced any more" - Erik ten Hag tipped Amad Diallo to shine for Manchester United this season
Amad Diallo earned his recent starting role with excellent performances for Manchester United during pre-season. He particularly impressed in a 2-0 win against Rangers, getting on the scoresheet against a club he previously spent time on loan.
Ten Hag reacted to that display by praising the Ivory Coast international and touching on his development. He said (via GOAL):
"We have to see Amad in a different way. Of course, he’s still young but he is not inexperienced any more. Last season he had bad times with bad injuries. Before that, he was in the Championship and he had a great season."
Amad Diallo joined Manchester United from Serie A side Atalanta in January 2021 for a reported £37 million. Breaking into the first team has been a long journey for him, but he's done so under Ten Hag.
The Dutch coach added:
"At the end of last season, he had a very good time in our first team and played some good games. Now for this season, this has to be the year. It’s great that he starts like this. On Monday he couldn’t play, he was not allowed to go into Norway, but today he could play and he played a very good game."
Amad became a fan favorite and made history with the Red Devils last season. He scored a dramatic winner in a 4-3 (a.e.t) win against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals.