Amad Diallo stakes claim for big role in new Manchester United era

With players looking to catch the eye of Ruben Amorim, it was Amad Diallo who staked his claim for a place in his plans with goals to end Manchester United’s wretched run without winning a European match.
More than a year had passed since United’s previous victory, a narrow win against FC Copenhagen, until Amad’s double against the Greek champions. One was a looping header, the other a fine individual effort created and finished off himself.
Amad, now 22, has never quite established himself regularly since arriving in the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era for €25 million from the talent factory of Atalanta. Loans at Rangers and Sunderland suggested he was at a crossroads in his United career.
Amorim arrives as head coach next week, and here is an opportunity to be an important part of the new regime. Amorim has worked with talents such as the highly-rated Geovany Quenda and Amad will be relishing showing the new man in charge what he is capable of.
“He’s a great character and a hard worker. He does extra work after training, constantly focused on working and getting better,” said Ruud van Nistelrooy, the interim manager.
It has turned into quite a week for United, with Amorim masterminding a statement win against Manchester City in his final home game at Sporting Lisbon before heading to the Premier League.
It may have been on a lower-key stage but United have given glimpses under Van Nistelrooy that Amorim has something to work with. An example was Manuel Ugarte, a former Sporting player, showing a good range of passing. Amad was the star of this victory though, with his second-half goals getting Van Nistelrooy animated on the sidelines.
Van Nistelrooy has at least ended United’s six-match run without a win in European matches, the worst run since successive poor campaigns from 1980 to 1983. Twente, Porto and Fenerbahce all earned draws against United this season, with their winless run dating back to October 2023.
It will be interesting to see how Amorim works with Rasmus Hojlund, who has only shown glimpses of his potential so far in 15 months at the club. Amorim has turned Viktor Gyokeres into one of the most lethal strikers in Europe over the last couple of seasons, with his use of a No 9 seemingly ideal for Hojlund.
In this game, the Denmark striker struggled to make an impact, with his only chance coming from a header that was easily saved. “It didn’t happen enough for him. In the second half we were better in positions but some of the crosses didn’t come for him,” said Van Nistelrooy.
With Hojlund struggling, the goals came from Amad. His first was five minutes into the second half when he showed a striker’s instinct for goal. Bruno Fernandes set up the opener, floating a ball to the far post where Amad had peeled off Baba Rahman, who had given him too much space. The finish looped over Dominik Kotarski and went in off the post.
Amad Diallo kisses the badge after giving Manchester United the lead in his first start in a month 🤩📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/tHteJfXsZz
The 22-year-old kissed the United badge in celebration once the VAR formalities were completed. His second goal came after pinching the ball off Baba before heading to the penalty area, from where he curled perfectly into the corner. “It came from work we did in the training. We have to press the opposing team,” said Amad.
What a strike this was from Amad Diallo 😮‍💨It’s his second of the night for Manchester United 💥📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/g4uqrnAFo1
He picked up an injury after scoring his second, which will be a concern for the weekend, but had made a statement to his new boss.
For Van Nistelrooy, he is yet to speak to Amorim about what the future will hold. The Portuguese coach will bring in his own staff and a decision will be made on whether the Dutchman stays or goes his own way as a manager.
“I enjoy it but Sunday is another one and I’m so focused on doing that so I’m not thinking of what is next,” said Van Nistelrooy. “It’s important to carry on and build. We can build on results and a first European home win in a year. It was time to change that and we addressed that in the dressing room.”
Van Nistelrooy stalking the technical area was another reminder of where United once were. The Dutchman feasted on 38 goals in 47 games in Uefa competition, usually dining at Europe’s top table rather than on Thursday evenings in the second-tier competition. But this is where United are, with the win taking them to 15th in the table.
Afterwards, United goalkeeper Andre Onana revealed there is backing from players for Van Nistelrooy to stay on in some capacity.
“A hundred per cent. He is a very good guy and a very good coach,” said Onana. “He has so much experience and he has done amazing since he has been here. We’ve had him for a few days as a head coach and the players are happy but it’s not something we can decide.
“The club make a decision and we have to accept because they have the final decision.”
Ruud van Nistelrooy has revealed ambitions of landing the Manchester United job permanently but is preparing to be part of Ruben Amorim’s backroom staff before returning to management.
Van Nistelrooy, 48, has previously been head coach at PSV Eindhoven and has one match left as United caretaker, against Leicester on Sunday, before Amorim takes charge next week. The Dutch coach will hold talks with the new United boss and has made it clear he wants to stay in his coaching role for the rest of his contract, which runs until 2026.
“Of course,” he said, when asked if wanted to be United manager in the future. “I thought this through well when I made the decision to come to United as assistant coach, I thought that through. I knew that coming to Manchester United was for me a special occasion where I felt I wanted to be part of this journey with the club also in an assistant role.
“I had clear ambitions to manage, I made the decision to sign a two-year deal as an assistant and I’m still in that frame of mind to stay in that capacity.
“I think the appetite to build further within this club is stronger than the other bit [management]. So for this moment, I made a deliberate decision to step into this role for two seasons and these four games haven’t changed that sentiment and that’s why I said from the beginning my intentions.”
The club legend, who scored 150 goals for United, feels he is handing over a team to Amorim in better form than when he took control as caretaker after Erik ten Hag’s dismissal. He could leave with a better win percentage than Michael Carrick, who earned two wins and a draw after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked.
“I’ve enjoyed it, the reaction of the players was outstanding,” Van Nistelrooy said. “I think also as an assistant you are quite close to players, the past three months I spent a lot of time with the players and got to know the players very well as human beings but also as football players, where they are in that development and how I can help.
“I think if you look at, it’s a results game in the end, the last three results were OK, we’re through in the Carabao Cup, we’re in the quarter-final there, it was a good point against Chelsea where we thought we deserved more and important in the Europa League to get higher up in the table and go through in January hopefully. The momentum is changing a little bit.”
Meanwhile, United defender Luke Shaw has returned to training following three months out with injury. The England left-back, who has not played for the club since February, sustained a calf injury in early August.
“I have to say yesterday we had a lot of benefit from Christian Eriksen playing a good 30 minutes for [Manuel] Ugarte and Mason [Mount] making his first minutes back, that benefited us as well, so glad that they’re back. And also for a little bit longer good Luke and Leny Yoro are on the pitch,” Van Nistelrooy said.
Diallo, who scored both goals against PAOK on Thursday, will still be assessed after a knock.
A pretty poor first half and second half was way better. Amad made a difference for us today not just because he scored his goals but also he was sharp. Positionally we weren’t good at all in the first half. They had four midfielders against our two but we got into the game better in the second half.
It’s a  good goal, we like when we qet in those spaces where Bruno is, to put the ball between the keeper and the backline. We needed it. It was a  good cross and I like the movement of the three [attackers].
He has been incredible [in training] always staying on, doing extra bits. That’s an example [for others].
I said to the lads that it’s been a year since our last European win at Old Trafford. I urged them to turn it around and build on something.
For me it was important to get results. I can only be happy with the performance and the bit I could do to help them. I have enjoyed it. I am so focused on Sunday I have hardly thought of what’s next. I checked my phone, checked the Wifi! [for a message to say he can stay on, which he wants]. Patience! 
It feels nice, it’s been a long year since we won in Europe, and we showed we were the best team on the pitch. It’s important to score every time. I have been unlucky this season but I managed to score two today. When I score I like to celebrate with the fans and yeah, I was happy [on kissing the badge]. The work we did in training is about pressing the opponent and I pressed him, took the ball, I shot and scored.
A first win in Europe this season for Manchester United, deserved by virtue of Amad’s contributions It’s good enough to allow then to climb seven places to 15th in this 36-team travesty league
Casemiro is incensed by Shoretire’s tackle in which he wins the ball but then scissors his left leg round to boot the Brazil midfielder across the calf. ‘Good tackle,’ says Robbie Savage, who has know young Shola for more than a decade as a family friend and academy team-mate of his son
Chance for Rashford after a Zirkzee lay-off starts a counter down the left and Rashford is played into the box by Bruno’s pass, opens his body and whistles his shot across goal and past the far post. He was also looking to bend it but didn’t wrap his instep sufficiently around the ball to whip it. 
Zirkzee ⇢ Hojlund. We’ll have four minutes of stoppage time. 
Shoretire’s touches are being applauded by both constituencies, who also welcomed him on with great warmth.
Hojlund dinks the ball wide having started from an offside position when played in on goal by Rashford’s clever pass.
Yellow card for Casemiro for a cynical/professional/tactical handball.
Shola Shoretire ⇢ Taison.
Shola, United’s youngest player in European competition, makes his return home after leaving for PAOK in the summer. He has 15 family members in the crowd to watch. 
Mount was stripped and ready to replace Bruno but Amad has taken a knock and he goes off instead. PAOK fans are still having a grand day out despite the scoreline, with some bellicose chants.
Mount ⇢ Amad.
United’s best player by a country mile deserved that for his tigerish tenacity, giving United an adrenaline surge like a whiff of amphetamine sulphate after threatening to sleepwalk towards conceding.  
Man Utd 2 PAOK 0 (Amad) Eriksen’s diagonal is cut out by Baba but Amad comes in off the whitewash to snap at his ankles, win the ball back and dart towards the box where he opens his body and bends a left-foot shot via a slight deflection off Colley into the left corner.
What a strike this was from Amad Diallo 😮‍💨It’s his second of the night for Manchester United 💥📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/g4uqrnAFo1
Man Utd are inviting trouble now. Too soon to settle for 1-0 and yet their defence has retreated to the 18-yard line and are trying to withstand waves of PAOK’s attacks and hit them on the break. 
PAOK corner after a slick passing move between Taison, Jonny and Bakayoko down the right. Evans turns Taison’s cross behind. United defend the corner well and try to break with Amad down the right but Jonny does his duty and hounds the winger until he wins the tackle and sets PAOK off on another attack. 
Martinez is playing at left-back now. United are quite deep now, as if retreating into their shell. 
Tissoudali misses a sitter when Taison plays the perfect angled pass to the centre-forward by the penalty spot, bisecting Evans and Lindelof. But the centre-forward snatches at it after a decent first touch and gives Onana the most comfortable of saves. Tissoudali is immediately hooked for that stinker.
Triple Man Utd change:
Rashford ⇢ GarnachoEriksen ⇢ UgarteMartinez ⇢ Dalot.
and two for PAOK:
Bakayoko ⇢ SchwabChalov ⇢ Tissoudali.
Garnacho again piles down the left, drives across the box and hits the deck when shaping to shoot but, as the referee shrewdly discerned, it was him kicking the defender not vice versa as the ball ran away from him. 
Chance for Amad as he drives down the inside right but he is too straight with his effort from Bruno’s cannily slipped pass and Kotarski blocks it while essaying an Elon Muskesque weird X-jump minus the midriff exposer. 
Garnacho skedaddles down the left, opens his body and feeds Dalot who slices a shot horribly over. 
Ugarte is booked for shoving Taison over from behind and Schwab lines up the 25 yard free-kick but scuffs it, pea-roller style, far too close to Onana who, were he wearing a cap, could have thrown it atop the ball. 
Just looking at the video of the goal (you can watch it two posts below), it was encouraging to see how well Amad dealt with Baba at the back post to win that header. 
Straight from the kick-off United are almost undone by the sucker punch as their mood briefly rocketed. But Zivkovic, so left-footed as to be almots a unidexter, takes a shot on with his left from the inside-right channel after a mistake and hooks it well wide. 
Man Utd 1-0 PAOK (Amad) VAR check bit it should be given. And it is. With a waft of the right foot from the left, Bruno bends a cross to the back post and Amad loops a header back across goal, over Kotarski and in at the far post as Hojlund followed it in and helpfully got in the way of Jonny’s attempt to hack it off the line.
Amad Diallo kisses the badge after giving Manchester United the lead in his first start in a month 🤩📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/tHteJfXsZz
PAOK see off the corner but back come United with Garnacho and once again a raid down the left is thwarted by solid defending. From that corner United try to wotk it to Amad in the D for a shot which is blocked at close range. 
Switch from right to left picks out Garnacho to bomb down the left with Dalot as his wing man. He slides the pass to the full-back on the overlap and into the box and he tries to find Bruno with a pull-back that is cut out by the defender and knocked behind. 
United continue as they left off with Amad making good progress down the right, not releasing the ball when Bruno wanted it so Bruno stops his run and isn’t there when Amad decides to play the pass. 
So much work for Amorim to do in terms of poise, pace and precision. At a push you would say Manchester United have promise but are way too callow in their judgment up front. And for all RVN’s positivity, their confidence is very fragile. 
And United end it in the way they’ve performed the whole match, with attacking promise down the right when Amad and Mazraoui link uo, and nowt to show for it because they mucked up the last pass after getting behind the defence and to the byline. This time Mazraoui is the culprit and the crowd groans.
United have looked vulnerable to the counter all match but have had the better attacking thrusts. Just a  minute of stoppage time, a la Nicholas Parsons. 
Quick break by PAOK with Zivkovic down the right and this time he sprays a pass crossfield to Mady Camara who sends Baba down the left and up the byline. Taison, who had started the move, split to the front post, Zivkovic to the back but Baba’s pass eludes them both and United boot it away. 
Lovely control from Camara to trap a cross from Baba by the left of the D, let it drop with a velvety touch but he then cuts his right boot across the half volley and doesn’t get the degree of swerve he hoped for and arced it still too close to Onana who slaps it behind for a corner. He deserved something just for the touch. The corner is easily defended. 
Nice combination between Bruno and Amad sends the wee winger down the right but he cannot pick a pass in the box. He might be better served by a more orthodox centre-forward who would allow him to cross from outside of the box as well as soft-shoeing into it. 
Only the PAOK fans are audible at the moment. 
PAOK see off the corner and try to launch an attack that breaks down at the 18-yard line and United counter at pace but then slow the tempo and allow their opponents to regroup and intercept Dalot’s lazy, long chip into the box. 
Excellent work from Baba at the back post to knock Garnacho’s menacing low cross behind just before Amad could nip in. Finely timed pass from Bruno, too, to send Garnacho in behind on the left of the 18-yard box. 
Guess what Zivkovic does when given a gallop down the right. Yup, he cuts inside on to his left and harpoons a vicious shot straight at Onana. He has a mule-kick of a shot but needs it to move to beat Onana from 25 yards. 
Now Casemiro goes down in the box when Bruno plays a cute pass from the middle angled down the inside left. Clever run, too from Casemiro but Jonny just stuck to him, glued to his shoulder and eased him off the ball as the pass whizzed across him. The ref waves penalty shouts away, rightly. 
Zivkovic again drives down the right but as n inverted winger has to come back on his left to shoot and ensnares himself with defenders as Camara tried to take a couple of red shirts away with a diagonal dummy run. 
Rapid Man Utd counter-attack that ends in confusion when Garnacho, who was shaping to shoot after haring down the left and cutting in on to his right, decides to slide Dalot down the outside instead and puts it out for a goal-kick. Savage says that Dalot should have halted his run but that was about Garnacho’s poor decision making not Dalot’s run. He didn’t have to give it to him. And if he was going to do that, then at least play it precisely. 
PAOK have a sizeable following in the away end – they are noisy too in the half hour before kick-off. It has been a year to celebrate for the fans, winning their first Greek title in five years which was their way to matches such as this at Old Trafford. 
Big chance for Hojlund when Amad comes back on after treatment, bendinga cross with his left from the right, parallel with the 18-yard line. He curls it artfully between the centre-backs and Hojlund is ahead of Colley but it whistles past his nose as he turns his head and Colley heads it back to his keeper. 
VAR check for a Man Utd penalty when Amad hares up the byline and into the box. Baba steps across him, providing a hurdle as he telescopes his leg out to prod it behind. Savage thinks it’s a penalty but the referee and VAR disagree. Amad was hurt by the trip and fall.
Should Manchester United have had a penalty for this challenge on Amad? 🤔🎙 @JulesBreach pic.twitter.com/wyp1BDsD7X
United break from the short goal-kick, working it forward with greater urgency than the Ten Hag dog days and Casemiro whips over a deep cross that Granacho meets with a header that is blocked behind by Jonny for a corner, off his arm I think but it wasn’t raised. PAOK defend a corner by conceding another and then with a firm header upfield. 
Rank header from Dalot when PAOK hist a long crossfield pass makes a gift of the ball to Zivkovic who cuts in his left, opens his body and aims for the top right but the ball stays true and refuses to bend or dip to his will.
United regroup and carry on with their phase of possession, hogging the ball without gaining a lot of ground until Amad accelerates into the box and tries to sweep a pass in to Hojlund by the penalty spot but Colley nips in to boot it away. 
PAOK look very handy down the right and have made some good, probing, attacking thrusts with slick passing but they concede a lot of cheap fouls. The latest, on Casemoro, allows United to have a go but they are pushed back to halfway. 
Zivkovic ploughs down the right and shifts the ball across the 18-yard line to Camara whose No 2 shirt belies his attacking role. He lets fly and his shot hits Casemiro’s heel as he tried to close his legs and bounces awkwardly through the six-yard box before they scramble it clear. Could easily have spun in.
Robbie Savage and Paul Scholes both advocate Amorim finding a job for Van Nistelrooy but I’m not sure that’s wise. You hire a bloke with a style of his own. Why dilute that?
United then try to get Garnacho going down the left and he’s brought down by Ozdoev. From the free-kick United shift it to the right and Mazraoui who then recycles it back to the left via Bruno Fernandes who picks out Garnacho’s run but his sliding pass between Jonny and Kedziora for Hojlund is too long and the keeper Kotarski gobbles it up. 
Amad is brought down by the former Chelsea left-back Baba who shoves the diddy winger over. United play the ball back to Onana from the free-kick on halfway. 
PAOK’s fans are making a racket. Greek fans are pleasingly loud and they whistle Man Utd as they play the ball back from the kick off to Evans who pumps a diagonal left to right looking for Amad. 
Good reception for Ruud van Nistelrooy who has gone for the Crombie and quarter-zip get-up again. Both sides have their photos taken and we pause for a minute’s silence for the victims of the Valencia floods. 
Rings around the stadium in the build-up to the Stone Roses and the… erm… beloved bangin’ UEL anthem:
Whenever you watch United you always think they are easy to play against. They make big mistakes. The goalkeeper has been better this year but they don’t know how to keep a lead. It’s game management, they give chances away all the time. 
This isn’t useful or constructive. It’s insulting and unnecessary. Fair play to Garnacho for putting him in his place. pic.twitter.com/yicwYtQDAL
What was most important is to get the lads back to their best. Results were not good, lots of pressure on them. There was no time to make big changes. As the assistant you are closer than the manager but we talked and communicated and said: ‘C’mon, we have four days together, lets try and get the results’.
I want to have the players on the pitch at their best and you have to have a formation to defend and work on their skills but confidence is a big thing. That affects performance and style. Against Leicester we score four on one half and [suddenly perceptions change and] ‘it’s a great attacking style’. 
When results start to come, confidence comes and that’s a million dollars for a striker. The lads have to believe they can do it. Rasmus is working on his hold-up play and is looking stronger. 
Ruud has handled himself really well. A great start against Leicester and they did well in the draw with Chelsea. Tonight’s a big one. They’re in the elimination places and it’s a must win. 
Man Utd  Onana, Mazraoui, Lindelof, Evans, Dalot, Ugarte, Casemiro, Diallo, Fernandes, Garnacho, Hojlund. Substitutes  Bayindir, Heaton, de Ligt, Martinez, Mount, Rashford, Zirkzee, Eriksen, Antony, Wheatley, Amass, Fitzgerald.
PAOK Kotarski, Jonny Otto, Kedziora, Colley, Baba, Ozdoev, Schwab, Zivkovic, Camara, Taison, Tissoudali. Substitutes  Monastirlis, Balomenos, Michailidis, Bakayoko, Chalov, Sastre, Thymianis, Shoretire, Thomas Llamas, Despodov. 
Referee  Radu Petrescu (Romania)
#Starting11 Our starting 11 against Manchester United at Old Trafford #PreGame #PamePAOKARA #MANUPAOK #UEL #OurWay #VaragonsConstructions @EuropaLeague pic.twitter.com/WuRiEyz7dB
In come Lindelof, Evans and Diallo for Lisandro, De Ligt and Rashford. 
Your #UEL Reds 💪#MUFC
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Good evening and welcome to live coverage of Manchester United’s Europa League tie against PAOK, champions of Greece. This is the fourth of eight rounds of games in this preposterously greed-engorged phase of European competition and both teams are yet to rack up a victory, a rum situation that has left United 22nd in the 36-club league after successive draws with Twente, Porto and Fener under the now defenestrated Erik ten Hag, and PAOK 30th following defeats by Galatasaray, the artists and kings of Europe formerly known as Steaua Bucharest and a 2-2 home draw with Viktoria Plzen, which, to their credit, was achieved from 2-0 down with six minutes to play.
Ruud van Nistelrooy is ‘at the wheel’ tonight for the third of four matches as interim head coach before giving way to Ruben Amorim for the long-term. And while he hasn’t been able to do much about Manchester United’s ingrained flaws in defence, midfield and inadequate, incoherent recruitment, he has instilled some simplicity of purpose and speed to their attacking play that earned them victory over Leicester in the League Cup, a team he faces in his swansong on Sunday, too, and last weekend’s draw with Chelsea.
There is not much a caretaker with a can do other than work on clarity and confidence and one would expect Van Nistelrooy to send out his charges against a PAOK side flecked with a few familiar faces – Shola Shoretire, Dejan Lovren, Jonny Otto and Tiemoué Bakayoko among them – with instructions to ‘Gerrintoem’. Without Kobbie Mainoo, they don’t have the midfield ingenuity to box clever and it’s probably better with whichever combo of the one-paced Manuel Ugarte, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro he selects just to get the ball out wide or up to Bruno Fernandes. PAOK also line up 4-2-3-1 with Taison and Andrija Zivkovic very effective on the wings which will give United’s shape and full-backs a test if the home side is sloppy in possession.