“We called him to the first-team because we believe he’s perfect replacement for Amad and he’ll better in that particular position”: Manchester United’s coach Ruben Amorim has promoted an academy star who’s regarded as the next Lionel Messi to the club first-team due to lack of quality in Amad’s position

“We called him to the first-team because we believe he’s perfect replacement for Amad and he’ll better in that particular position”: Manchester United’s coach Ruben Amorim has promoted an academy star who’s regarded as the next Lionel Messi to the club first-team due to lack of quality in Amad’s position

Manchester United will have to finish the rest of the season without one of their most promising forwards, Amad Diallo. The team was already finding it hard to score goals even before dealing with recent injuries, and now, with Amad unavailable, their struggles in attack could get even worse.

At just 22 years old, Amad has been a bright spot for United in an otherwise challenging season. He has shown significant improvement and has managed to score nine goals across all competitions. The only other player in the squad with as many goals is Bruno Fernandes. With Amad sidelined, other forwards will now have to step up and take on the responsibility of scoring, as the team will be missing an important attacking threat.

Head coach Ruben Amorim faces a tough challenge in figuring out how to replace Amad’s unique playing style, especially as the team prepares to play against Everton at Goodison Park this weekend. Amorim has already given some hints about his plan for dealing with Amad’s absence for the rest of the season. There are two main players who could potentially fill his role.

Last weekend, in their defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United made four changes to their starting lineup. Joshua Zirkzee was chosen to play alongside Alejandro Garnacho in an attacking midfield position. Even though the team struggled to create chances during the match, both players had decent individual performances. If United had more attacking options available on the bench, they might have had a better chance of securing at least a draw.

After the match, Amorim had positive things to say about Zirkzee’s performance. He mentioned that while Zirkzee is not a traditional striker, he is more comfortable playing as an attacking midfielder. “I think Josh is not a clear nine, he played more as a 10,” Amorim explained. “He’s physically stronger, he’s working really hard, and he’s improving. He’s winning more duels, he’s faster, and you can feel it in the game. That helped us make the decision.”

Zirkzee’s ability to hold up the ball and drop deeper into midfield makes him a good fit for Amorim’s tactical system. His playing style can create space for Rasmus Hojlund to exploit, allowing the team to be more dangerous in attack.

However, Zirkzee is not the only option. If Amorim wants a player with a similar style to Amad, he might turn to Patrick Dorgu. Even though Dorgu was initially signed as a left wing-back, he has played on the right wing for Lecce earlier this season. In fact, all three of his league goals for Lecce came while playing in that position.

A key part of Amorim’s strategy is having a left-footed attacker who can provide different passing angles and add variety to the team’s attack. Losing Amad doesn’t just mean losing a goal threat; it also means losing his ability to cut inside from the right and connect with the rest of the team in a unique way. Amorim is well aware of this and will be looking for ways to compensate.

“If you look at Dorgu’s history in his last team, he played a lot on the right,” Amorim pointed out. “We need wingers who can switch sides, like (Diogo) Dalot. Sometimes you need a left-footer on the right to cut inside and combine with teammates in a different way, and sometimes you need a right-footed player to cross more balls into the box.”

One potential downside of using Dorgu as a forward is that United has been searching for a specialist left wing-back for a long time. Now that they finally have one, it might not be ideal to play him in an attacking role instead. If Dorgu moves to the front line, United may have to rely on Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui playing out of position in defense, which could cause further issues.

As the season nears its end, Manchester United will have to make important tactical decisions to cope without Amad. Whether Amorim chooses Zirkzee or Dorgu to step in, the team must find a way to keep their attacking threat alive if they want to finish the season strong.