Erik ten Hag admits that Amad Diallo has ‘deserved more minutes’ on the pitch for Manchester United this season, as the Ivorian youngster has yet to start a Premier League match. Amad was expected to play a significant role this season after an impressive loan spell at Sunderland last year, but he suffered a knee injury in the summer which kept him sidelined until December. Since his return, Amad has made eight appearances as an unused substitute in the league. Despite United struggling with injuries, the 21-year-old has only played 172 minutes this season, leaving many fans calling for him to get more game time. United legend Gary Neville described the lack of opportunities for Amad as ‘odd’, while the player himself recently posted a cryptic tweet. Ten Hag now concedes that Amad should have received more chances this season and is pleased with his development, although he operates in an area of the pitch where the Dutchman has several options.
‘Amad deserves it [to play more], but don’t forget he was injured for a long period of the season,’ Ten Hag explained. ‘So we rebuilt him, he’s now had some opportunities, he’s really contributed. But also he played in a position that is not his best position, I would say. Started as a striker but then he has to play in the midfield, so he did well. But we have a number of players in that area, there’s big competition there, and actually, he already has deserved more minutes I would say. But I have to choose there, because we have Alejandro Garnacho, we have Antony, we have him, we have Omari Forson. So we have some players in that position, a number of players, and we have to make choices there. But I am very happy with his performances, with his progress, and I see his qualities. He has some assets that can really contribute to our game.’
With Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay picking up knocks in United’s FA Cup win over West Ham, Ten Hag says more players might be required to play out of position. ‘And still, we perform. And also [against Sheffield United] we will be creative and we will put a team out that is able to win that game – even if we have to be really creative,’ the Dutchman added.
