"Ready to make the difference and to play" - Berbatov backs 22-year-old star to succeed at Manchester United this season despite squad competition
Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has backed Amad Diallo to do well this season despite competition at Old Trafford. The Ivory Coast international has yet to enjoy a breakout season after signing for the Red Devils in January 2021 for a reported fee of £19 million.
It is certainly not going to be easy this campaign either, with competition from multiple wingers on both flanks. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho, among others, will be competing for minutes in wide areas.
However, Berbatov told Futbin.com (via Mirror):
"Amad is still very, very young with a lot of football to play. I think it was beneficial for him to go on loan to Sunderland because you could see he wasn't ready to face and play regularly in the Manchester United first team.
"Now there's an improvement and growth in the way that he plays football. I think Ten Hag has said that Amad is now ready to make the difference and to play more but the competitions is going to be high."
The 22-year-old winger spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Sunderland and played the second half of the 2021/22 campaign for Rangers. Adding about Amad and claiming that he will need to be patient, Berbatov said:
"Don't be discouraged when you're not playing. Sometimes football can be cruel but stay fighting, do your best in training and I think he'll get chances to play this season. He has to seize them but not only on the right."
To date, Amad has made 23 appearances across competitions for Manchester United, bagging three goals and two assists.
Juventus still considering Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho move - Reports
Juventus are reportedly considering signing Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho after having been linked with the player in January this year. Although the England international seems to have reconciled with Erik ten Hag, his starting position in the team is far from guaranteed.
However, journalist Alfredo Pedulla has clarified that the Old Lady are only looking at Sancho as a backup option (via Juvefc.com). They wish to secure the services of Fiorentina’s Nicolas Gonzalez or Porto's Francisco Conceicao before they seriously look to bring Sancho to Turin.
Moreover, the Manchester United star hasn't been particularly good for the Red Devils since he joined the club in the summer of 2021. He's made 83 appearances across competitions to date for the Manchester outfit, bagging 12 goals and six assists.