Why Amad Diallo can be a load-bearing pillar in Amorim’s Manchester United rebuild Premium

Amad Diallo shines for struggling Manchester United, offering hope amid a dark period under manager Ruben Amorim.

Ruben Amorim, who took over as Manchester United manager from the sacked Erik ten Hag in November 2024, had warned that a “storm will come”. 

As much as he would have liked his players to have defied his prediction, Amorim’s words have proven prophetic: United has suffered seven defeats in 14 games (all competitions) in December and January, and continues to languish in the Premier League’s bottom half.

It’s a miserable period on the red side of Manchester — indeed after last weekend’s loss to Brighton at Old Trafford, Amorim conceded that this side is the “worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United” — but amid the darkness and despair, there is a shimmering ray of hope.

For, Amad Diallo is proving a man for the big occasion. The 22-year-old winger from the Ivory Coast, who barely saw game-time during ten Hag’s reign, is thriving under Amorim — in addition to scoring clutch goals against heavyweight rivals, Diallo has also saved the team’s blushes.

Diallo’s defining moments this season include an 80th-minute equaliser at Anfield to secure a 2-2 draw against Liverpool and an exquisite 90th-minute winner at Manchester City. Add last season’s winner in stoppage time of extra time as United ousted Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals, and you realise why he is already beginning to be viewed as a cult hero. 

The most dramatic instance of Diallo’s heroics came last week when he conjured up a hat-trick in a remarkable late flurry that rescued United from embarrassment against Southampton, the Premier League’s worst team this season. The Red Devils were heading for a fourth straight home loss for the first time since the 1930s before Diallo’s intervention.

Diallo’s exploits occurred a week after he had signed a five-year contract extension with the club and underlined his status as a potential superstar of the future. Only Wayne Rooney has scored a Premier League hat-trick for United at a younger age (21) than Diallo, who is only the third player in Premier League history to score three times in the final 10 minutes of a game.