Forgotten Man Utd star sets up his own pre-pre-season training sessions as fans beg Ten Hag not to sell him
AMAD DIALLO took extra measures to ensure he hit the ground running this term – whether he is at Manchester United or not.
The 21-year-old Ivory Coast international winger arrived at Old Trafford in January 2021 for £37million from Italian side Atalanta.
GettyAmad Diallo went the extra mile to ensure he was in top shape for Man Utd’s pre-season[/caption]
Since then he has only managed a handful of first-team appearances and has spent the bulk of the last 18 months on loan, first with Rangers and then Sunderland.
Diallo shone last season in the Championship with the latter, and the Black Cats would love to have him back.
But his displays also caught the eye elsewhere, and we reported how Erik ten Hag was set to give him an opportunity to impress in pre-season for the Red Devils.
He played in last week’s 2-0 friendly win over Leeds United and will be hoping for more action at United.
Now The Athletic have revealed that Diallo has actually gone the extra mile off his own back to make sure that he was in top condition.
They claim that he was spotted doing laps of an artificial pitch at the Platt Lane Sports Complex in Fallowfield several weeks ago.
The ace “was being put through his paces by a coach who works in Manchester United’s academy programmes” but “the session was not set up through the club”.
Instead, it was Diallo who organised it after “striking up a friendship” with the coach.
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He arranged the “extracurricular activities to help him get in the best possible shape for not just the new season but also a pre-season that will have a significant sway on where he plays his football over the next year”.
And several days later he was joined by fellow academy graduates Brandon Williams and ex-United youngster Dion McGhee.
Now he is back in full training with the United squad under Ten Hag and will be hoping to play a part in their clash against Lyon this afternoon in Edinburgh.
He has made nine United first team appearances to date, scoring once.
And after the news of his extra sessions emerged, fans took to social media to beg Ten Hag to use him.
One tweeted: “United need to keep him around, he’s more than capable of helping this team next season.”
Another wrote: “Why are there still doubts about this guy? He would definitely give real competition to Antony. He’s good!”
As another commented: “WE NEED AMAD TO COOK!”
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