United loanee Amad Diallo is experiencing significant difficulty. The 20-year-old Ivorian has even resorted to playing for Sunderland’s reserve squad after failing to make an impression as a Manchester United squad player. Fascinatingly, Diallo was on the verge of a transfer to Feyenoord last season.
Diallo suffered an injury in August 2021, only days before finalising his transfer to Feyenoord. Thus, the transaction failed. The youthful attacker left for Rangers FC on a rental deal midway through the previous season after a protracted recuperation spell. The Ivorian didn’t have much of an impact on Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s group. The Dutch manager never used the forward in the Europa League while leading his team to the championship game.
United loanee Amad Diallo relegated to Sunderland’s reserve squad
Diallo is currently failing to live up to expectations at Sunderland. At the Championship club, he only ever started once. The best players in a few substitutions also fell short of expectations. Manager Tony Mowbray sent Diallo to Sunderland Under-23 in the hopes of giving him some rhythm and helping things turn around. On Monday night, Diallo’s Championship number eleven reserves were defeated 0-1 by Leeds United Under-23. Wilfried Gnonto, another former Feyenoord transfer target, scored the goals.
The relapse of Diallo is really painful. He was acquired by United from Atalanta Bergamo in January 2021 for more than 21 million euros; however, bonus agreements could cause the transfer fee to increase to 37 million euros.
Since the winger had only made four senior appearances for Atalanta at the time, this received a lot of criticism at the time. The club defended the cost, though, by pointing to his potential.
If Diallo is to keep his promise in Manchester, a lot needs to be done. Up until mid-2025, he is still under contract at Old Trafford. That seems doubtful, though. Given that he has only made three previous outings for the Red Devils and his present status.
