Skip to content
Amad can fill two roles for Manchester United next season
After a glittering loan spell at Sunderland this season, Amad will be hoping he can deliver the goods in a Manchester United shirt next term.
Snapped up from Italian outfit Atalanta in January 2021 for an eye-watering £37million fee, Amad was sent out on loan last August, joining a Sunderland side that was still adapting to life back in the Championship after four painful seasons in League One. He had spent the second half of the 2021/22 campaign on loan at Rangers and was not presented with enough chances to showcase his capabilities.
At the Stadium of Light, however, it was different. After gradually being eased into his new surroundings, Amad soon started to find his feet at Championship level.
Also read: Four 8/10s: United player ratings vs Bournemouth
Working under experienced Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray, who is no stranger to getting the best out of young players, the Ivorian quickly started to show why United had invested so much money in his signature just over two years ago. A run of five goals in seven league games either side of the World Cup break meant he was quickly gathering attention.
Though he was signed to operate on the right-wing, Amad, 20, was soon tasked with operating as a versatile attacker, often being asked by Mowbray to play as an attacking-midfielder and sometimes even a striker. Star striker Ross Stewart missed almost all of the season through injury and others had to fill the void he had vacated.
Though Amad did not play as a striker all that often, he had no choice on a handful of occasions. He was, however, tasked with operating as an attacking-midfielder, according to data collected by transfermarkt, on nine occasions, scoring five goals from that position.
Sunderland are blessed with creativity in the wide areas, meaning Mowbray, in an attempt to get Patrick Roberts, Jack Clarke and Amad on the pitch at the same time, had to test the water and experiment. Roberts, formerly of Manchester City, is most dangerous on the right, meaning Amad tucked inside and operated as a No.10.
As the statistics highlight, he flourished in that position, meaning United manager Erik ten Hag, who plans to welcome Amad back into his squad ahead of next season, could see what he is capable of from a central area in United colours.
On Amad’s versatility, Mowbray, speaking back in March, said: “I’ve been trying to say to you the ball isn’t a problem to him. He can play wide, he can play inside, he can play deep.
“I think he can play centre-midfield for us in the Championship, you know. Just give him the ball and he very rarely loses it. Yet we generally put Roberts really wide and play Amad just inside him.
“We’ve had huge success down the right-hand side of the pitch with those two linking and playing with each other, people running off the back of the two of them and sliding people in. It’s very profitable for us. He is versatile.
“I see United games, I watch a lot of football, and Bruno [Fernandes] plays a bit of everywhere, off the right sometimes, inside as a 10 or as a running 8, he can play deep and link the midfield up. Amad is a similar type of footballer.”
Though Amad is unlikely to be deployed as a No.8 for United, there could be scope for him to operate as a No.10, as well as a winger, of course. Donny van de Beek’s underwhelming Reds career has meant that Bruno Fernandes, since Jesse Lingard’s and Juan Mata’s exits last summer, has not had an understudy to compete with.
FA Cup 48-page preview ON SALE NOW
History will be made on June 3 as, for the first time, Manchester City and Manchester United meet in the FA Cup final.
This special souvenir publication is the perfect countdown to the clash, as Blues and Reds prepare for their showdown at Wembley.
Packed with player features, analysis on the big game, the road to the final, a look back at City and United’s previous FA Cup finals and a spotlight on Pep Guardiola and Erik ten Hag, it is a must for all fans as you build-up to the match.
Order your special souvenir edition HERE.
Available to purchase in most participating supermarkets, high street retailers and independent newsagents in Manchester from May 17,2023. For online purchases, postage and packaging applies. Worldwide shipping available.
The Portuguese international has been a virtually ever-present figure this season and the lack of a like-for-like rotational player has meant that Ten Hag has rarely been able to rest him. The gulf between the Championship and the Premier League is, of course, something that Amad is going to have acclimatise himself to. He will notice a big jump in quality, both in terms of his teammates and the level of opposition.
Nevertheless, his performances at Sunderland captured Ten Hag’s attention and he might choose to embed him within his plans for next season, particularly if he impresses in pre-season. Should that prove the case, he could maximise Amad’s versatility and call on him to play both out wide and through the middle as Fernandes’ deputy.
The step up in quality and how Amad deals with that will, of course, dictate Ten Hag’s thinking. However, the former Atalanta youngster has proven he is worthy of a chance.
READ MORE:
/cloudfront-ap-southeast-2.images.arcpublishing.com/nzme/YG66JPXXANCJ3EXXWRIZAV3RYE.jpg "Auckland First XV rugby dispute: Student ruled eligible to play for King’s – schools to consider Sports Tribunal decision")
