The winner at Man City. The equalizer at Liverpool. And now a winning hat-trick, a week after signing a new long-term contract with Man Utd.
Amad Diallo is the shining light of Ruben Amorim's reign so far.
“It might be one of the best weeks of my life,” he told TNT Sports after his 12-minute hat-trick transformed the story for United. It was the first senior hat-trick of his career, just seven days after completing a deal that will keep him at United until 2030.
After a miserable 75 minutes, they were on course for defeat against the bottom club in the Premier League. Instead, the United fans at Old Trafford went home chanting Amad's name. “I am very happy with this victory,” the Ivorian added.
Only Wayne Rooney scored a hat-trick in the Premier League for Manchester United at a younger age. But even at 22, Amad is showing his more experienced teammates how to adapt and thrive in an unfamiliar system.
Whether he plays as one of two strikers supporting the striker or slots into a wing-back position (as in his late treble), Amad finds ways to influence the game in Amorim's 3-4-2-1.
Significantly, of Amad's six league goals this season, two were winners and three were equalizers. In the big moments, Amad has gone a step further. Not bad for a player who only got three top starts from Erik ten Hag last season.
Ironically, it is the man who fueled Amad's form who downplays his achievements.
“He's having a very good season. And that's it,” Amorim said at his post-match press conference.
“We have to be careful with the young kids. It was a really good job today. He still has a lot to improve. But this game is in the past. We have to prepare for the future. In football, life is like that.”
“He has done a great job. It is a great moment for a young boy to score a hat-trick for a club like this. But he has to concentrate on the next game because it is already in the past and he has to concentrate on prepare for the next match.”
Amorim clearly wants to keep the hype surrounding Amad under control. That's probably due to the difficulty of the broader task he has on his shoulders. But for United supporters, who are facing another challenging season, it's hard not to be excited about the potential of this rising star.
Analysis: Amad steps up again
Sky Sports' Adam Bate at Old Trafford:
“Tactically, United were undone by Southampton. Leny Yoro was exposed by Kamaldeen Sulemana, the pressing against a team notoriously error-prone at the back was uncoordinated throughout and there was a caution to the team's play that was alarming.
“Some of these players still do not feel comfortable with what they are being asked to do by Amorim, with the coach himself recognizing that the demands represent a complete reversal of what they were taught. Some may simply not fit in with what is needed .”
“But in those circumstances you learn even more about players and people. Amad stepped up again. Like he did when he scored the winner against Manchester City. Like he did when he scored the equalizer at Liverpool recently. Here it was great.” trick to turn it all around.
“He didn't wait for it to happen, he let it happen. The first goal was forced from the second asking. The second came from clever movement in the penalty area, hoping he would be found. The third came from gambling. a defender who controls the ball incorrectly.
“He performed as the nominal full-back in Amorim's system and moved there to compensate for the absence of the suspended Diogo Dalot. How his coach would love it if everyone in his squad could embrace the challenges – mentally and tactically – like he has this.” season.”
Analysis: Extending the Amad deal is Man Utd's best transfer activity
Anton Toloui from Sky Sports News at Old Trafford:
“There has been so much talk in this transfer window about the futures of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, but signing Amad to a new contract seems like the best thing Man Utd will do.
“They needed someone to step up, take risks, move forward and take the game away from their opponents – the Ivorian has done just that.
“Mainoo was taken off the field early, Garnacho missed important chances, Rashford is nowhere to be seen, but Amad has gone a step further.”
Amorim: We have so much to do
Although Amad's exploits have spared United a lot of glory, Amorim has no doubts about the magnitude of the task ahead of him.
“The feeling is that we still have so much to do,” he told TNT Sports after the match. “I felt the team was very tired. Liverpool, Arsenal 120 minutes, it's not just the physical part, the mental part of the players. So it was a win, let's continue.”
He also pointed out the pressure his players felt playing in front of their own fans. United had lost their last three at Old Trafford – the club has not suffered four straight defeats at home since 1934. Another problem was the team's struggle to push through cohesively as a unit when Southampton broke through in the first half.
“When we played in this stadium we lost the last three games here, the pressure is different,” he said. “We try to put pressure on the opponent in the build-up and you feel the difficulty. Then they connect between the lines and cause a lot of problems for us.
“We are currently struggling to keep up the pressure. This team is not used to that and it looks like a lack of enthusiasm. [Manuel] Ugarte is late, Kobbie Mainoo is late, Bruno [Fernandes] goes outside and the ball is inside. Then one transition and [Leny] Yoro can't catch him [Sulemana].
“It's small things and then we get nervous without the ball. But when you have one goal, one chance, you feel like the team can control the game better.
“I want to be fair to my players. Today it wasn't a lack of enthusiasm. It was a lack of speed and sometimes a lack of control of the game.”
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