Manchester United have been told Amad Diallo is ready to play regularly in the Premier League, following an impressive loan spell in the Championship with Sunderland.
Amad scored 14 goals in all competitions for Sunderland last season to help them reach the play-offs and it remains to be seen whether he will be part of Erik ten Hag's plans next season or be shipped out on loan again.
Ten Hag is expected to evaluate the 20-year-old in pre-season, but he will have plenty of competition out wide from the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho. However, despite his success at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland believe that Amad will be playing his football at a higher level than the Championship next season whether that is United or not.
"I'm so happy Amad sat in here at the end of the season with me and Tony [Mowbray] and had a vibrant smile on his face," Sunderland's sporting director Kristjaan Speakman told The Athletic. "He loved it.
"Naturally, that's what we want. Can Amad return to Sunderland? I don't think so. He should be playing in tier one, in England, La Liga, Bundesliga, wherever.
"That's the level of player he is. The staff here, the players and supporters have helped him get back on that journey and hopefully that will attract more players to want to come to Sunderland."
After he joined United from Atalanta in 2021, then manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer waxed lyrical about his potential stating: "I believe he is one of the most exciting young prospects in the game. He is a player with all of the raw attributes that are needed to be an important player for Manchester United in the years to come."
When Ten Hag was asked about Amad's impressive performances at Sunderland back in January, the Dutchman was measured in his response as he stressed the need for the winger to gain invaluable experience by playing week in week out. “We consider everything but I have a little bit of reservation about that because I don't want to stop the process," he said.
"He has made really good progress there so I'm happy with that. But young players need experiences and when we decide for him to come back, he has to be a player who can compete for the starting XI or minimum to come on for a lot of games and make an impact."
