Some Manchester United fans will be devastated to learn that the club are contemplating a loan exit for wonderkid Amad Diallo next season, according to Laurie Whitwell of the Athletic.
The Red Devils pre-agreed the transfer of the talented winger last summer, for an initial fee of €25m in a deal worth up to €40m according to Fabrizio Romano for the Guardian.
Despite the promise and hype surrounding the 18-year-old, Amad was hardly called upon by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after formally arriving at the club in January.
Whitwell now reports that clubs have already enquired about the Ivorian’s availability whilst the Manchester outfit are yet to decide on whether Amad should be sent out on loan next season or not.
With the club recently agreeing the signing of Jadon Sancho, the renewal of Juan Mata and even the return of Jesse Lingard with no sale currently in the pipeline, United have a difficult choice to make.
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Amad only made eight first-team appearances after officially moving to United, with just two of those coming by way of starts as the contributed a goal and assist.
United have landed themselves what should be an instant starter in Jadon Sancho, with Marcus Rashford the most likely option to start on the opposite wing.
Solskjaer clearly values the hard-working Dan James, whilst the renewal of Mata must mean that the club feel the Spaniard can still contribute on the pitch – however small his on-field role may be.
Of course, United also have their homegrown wonderkid Mason Greenwood to call on as a centre-forward or wide option so it’s difficult to see how Amad would fit in as even a fringe player.
The talent’s hopes of seeing regular action on the pitch would be cut further were Lingard to remain at the club, so perhaps a loan is the best option the club currently have.
Even if United were to facilitate a loan for another wide-man in James, it’s still hard to see how Amad will get the minutes he needs to develop. Solskjaer even calls on Paul Pogba as a left-winger at times.
The Red Devils will have to very carefully consider which clubs would be suitable for Amad due to their significant investment into the ace, they’ll need to find a side that can offer valuable minutes but they may be against loaning the ace to a Premier League rival or a team they may face in Europe.