Amad Diallo - Sunderland
It was a tricky start for Amad at Manchester United after signing from Atalanta for nearly £40million in total. He did not appear much for United in his first season and was mostly known for his headed goal against AC Milan in the Europa League.
After an unsuccessful loan move to Rangers last season, Amad has been sent on another temporary switch to Sunderland. It was initially a slow start to the season for the youngster, but he has recently been in great form for his new team.
In 19 league appearances for the Black Cats, he has scored six and assisted once. After his recent form, he has caught the eye of many United fans once again and he was recently nominated for the Championship player of the month award for November.
Also read: What Pellistri did before his assist won United fans over
Thanks to his great performances, he has pushed the highly-regarded Patrick Roberts out of the side, which was no easy feat. Physically, the Ivorian has improved massively, and he has been able to keep the ball enough to show his deadly end product. More importantly, he has regained his confidence which is a good sign for Erik ten Hag
Amad has played the majority of his games for Sunderland on the right wing, and he has found success using his electrifying pace to go past players and create chances. His finishing and passing ability have clearly improved while in the Championship and while United have the option to recall the player, it seems unlikely.
Hannibal Mejbri – Birmingham City
Fan favourite Hannibal Mejbri has been enjoying a decent loan spell at sub-par Birmingham City. He was signed from Monaco in 2019 for just over £10m and the Tunisian is an exciting talent at United, so expectations are high.
Despite currently sitting 17th in the Championship, Mejbri has been decent for the Blues. He has made 20 league appearances and assisted three goals in that time while playing as a central midfielder. However, he has not been performing well in the attacking sense with just one key pass on average per game.
The 19-year-old has also struggled with his passing accuracy, with just a 68 per cent successful pass rate which would not be considered good enough for a starting midfielder.
One of Hannibal’s most notable qualities is his aggression, but he has managed to keep his cool for Birmingham City, with just six yellow cards. So far, he has not received any red cards, which may be a surprise for most, especially after his fiery appearance against Liverpool last season.
The loan move has clearly proved that he is much more suited to an attacking midfield role as that is where he has performed the best, alongside former United player, Tahith Chong. As an attacking midfielder, he has been able to use his creativity, compared to the more structured and disciplined deeper midfield role. Altogether, Hannibal has been holding his own for Birmingham City, but he has yet to become the star like most would have hoped for.
Alvaro Fernandez – Preston North End
While Alvaro Fernandez has not made an appearance for the Manchester United first team, that may change in the future after an impressive loan spell at Preston North End so far. United signed the Spaniard on a free transfer from Real Madrid in 2020 and he performed well for United under 23s last season.
The left-back has been in great form for Preston since joining and he has solidified himself as a solid starter for the Championship team. Fernandez has played 20 league games since joining with two assists, despite missing four games through injury and he has been a common name on the team-sheet.
Fernandez has been able to utilise his dribbling skills which has moved the player into more of a wing-back role for Preston. The loan move has allowed the 19-year-old to show off his flair and tenacity as a left-sided player which no doubt will prove interesting to Ten Hag.
However, in a more attacking role, Fernandez would be expected to provide more of an output as two assists and no goals may not be enough for a wing back. As Preston play a three-at-the-back system, wing backs are expected to provide attacking support and essentially create chances, so you could argue that Fernandez needs to improve this side of his game.
Ethan Laird – Queens Park Rangers
Ethan Laird has been a player on many United fans’ radars for the past few years. However, his loan move to Queens Park Rangers may be his last chance to prove himself as a worthy Manchester United player. The young full back has been loaned out four times during his United career, but he has only made five appearances for his parent club, all of which were in cup competitions.
The 21-year-old has been performing well at QPR as a right back. He has played in nearly every game for his new team, making 21 appearances. A total of two assists and one goal for the player may not look impressive but Laird is a notably defensively-minded player, much like Aaron Wan Bissaka. The Englishman has flourished in his defensive game after drastically improving his tackling ability.
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