After Amad Diallo descended into Old Trafford folklore with his incredible extra-time winner against Liverpool, it was perhaps no surprise that the young Ivorian forgot he had already been booked. Amad’s shirt came out in celebration and off he went, sent off by referee John Brooks for a second yellow card.
Fortunately, United’s 10 men held on for the remaining seconds to secure a famous 4-3 victory over their old rivals on Sunday and a place in next month’s FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.
“It was one of Manchester United’s best games and I scored a goal in the last minute against Liverpool. It was an incredible moment for me,” Amad said.
“I believe in myself and I want to thank the fans and my family for supporting me every day. It’s very special for me because it was my dream to play for United.
“The manager believes in me. It gives me a lot of confidence and I want to continue like that. I’m on the bench but every time I’m ready to come in and fight for the team. I’m waiting for my chance and, for me, every match is like a Champions League final.
Amad Diallo wrote his name into Man United folklore with his 121st minute goal against Liverpool
Amad was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for taking off his shirt in celebration.
The Ivorian hopes his winning goal can serve as a launching pad for his Manchester United career.
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“It was the perfect moment. I forgot the first yellow! But it was important that we won, so I’m very happy.
That may not be the only thing Amad wants to forget about a season that promised so much following his return from a successful loan spell at Sunderland last summer.
Indeed, his career at Old Trafford has yet to live up to expectations since United agreed a fee of £19million, rising to £37million, with Atalanta for the youngster in January 2021.
The transfer was overshadowed by allegations that he used false documents and false parents to leave Ivory Coast for Europe. Diallo, who dropped the Traoré surname on his 18th birthday, was fined £42,000 by the FIGC, Italian football’s governing body.
The youngster scored his first goal for United in a Europa League match against AC Milan, but it took three years for his second to arrive in Sunday’s epic cup win over Liverpool.
Amad spent the second half of the 2021-22 campaign on loan at Rangers and last season at Sunderland. The 21-year-old returned from Wearside last summer with the PFA Championship Supporters’ Player of the Year award after contributing 14 goals and four assists to Sunderland’s season which ended in defeat in play-off semi-final against Luton Town.
“I was at Sunderland last season and I came here to wait for my chance,” Amad added on Sunday.
“It was important for me to go out on loan to gain more confidence and experience, so now I’m at Manchester United, I’m very happy to stay here.”
His career at Man United has yet to live up to expectations since joining the club in January 2021.
Amad joined Atalanta for an initial free fee of £19m, rising to £37m.
His first goal with Man United came in the Europa League against AC Milan in March 2021.
Amad played for Sunderland winning the PFA Championship Fans’ Player of the Year award
However, his hopes of making an impact at United this season suffered a setback during the club’s summer tour of the United States when he seriously injured his left knee against Arsenal in New Jersey.
This meant he missed the opportunity to stake his claim for a place on the right wing in a year in which Mason Greenwood left the club on loan to Getafe, Jadon Sancho was left out following a disagreement with manager Erik ten Hag and United had brought in Antony. authorization to challenge allegations off the field.
We didn’t hear from Amad again until September, when he posted a photo of his knee on social media with the caption “small steps” revealing a large scar and swelling as he began his Carrington rehab.
He returned to light training in October and rejoined the rest of his teammates in December, returning to United’s squad in the final match of the year at Nottingham Forest.
Amad came off the bench in a defeat at the City Ground and was not seen again for a further two months when he came on as a substitute in another home defeat to Fulham.
In the meantime, he was overlooked by Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations at home and overtaken by Omari Forson at United amid speculation that Ten Hag has rated the England winger higher under 20 years old. Despite this, he insisted on remaining at Old Trafford during the January transfer window instead of leaving on loan for a third time.
Amad was brought on during the FA Cup win over Forest, but frustration seemed to take over after being left on the bench for the Manchester derby and win over Everton.
Amad suffered a pre-season setback after injuring his knee in a friendly against Arsenal.
His minutes remained limited but he came off the bench in an FA Cup win over Forest.
Amad’s winning goal against Liverpool renewed hopes for his Man United career
He removed all references to United from his social media accounts, leaving only a photo of him playing for Sunderland and a message in French saying “all this will end”. The devout Muslim later said he closed his social media accounts because of Ramadan.
All that was forgotten on Sunday, however, when Amad headed the ball away from Harvey Elliott on the edge of United’s penalty area in the middle of extra time and headed towards the Liverpool goal to support Alejandro Garnacho.
The young Argentina international played the ball back to him and Amad’s acceleration past Conor Bradley gave him just enough space to fire inside the far post. Cue the chaos inside Old Trafford.
The red card means he will be banned for the next game against Brentford, but the hope now is that Amad can become the player he – and United – always hoped he would be.