Amad reminded Erik ten Hag why he's dreaming of playing for Manchester United next season with another spectacular goal in his fruitful loan spell with Sunderland.
The Ivorian wonderkid, 20, has spent the full campaign on Wearside and after a rough patch at the turn of the year, scored his 12th goal in 33 Championship appearances on Saturday as Sunderland kept their play-off hopes alive. Tony Mowbray 's men beat Birmingham 2-1 at home, with Amad's 75th-minute stunner proving the difference.
Receiving the ball on his favoured right flank, the United loanee seamlessly cut inside his marker and rifled a shot into the bottom left-hand corner, sending the Stadium of Light wild. Amad's heroics came just days after he reaffirmed his desire to succeed back at Old Trafford, with Ten Hag anticipating his return this summer.
"I haven't shown my best for them yet, but I hope next season I can return and prove my talent," The Ivory Coast international recently told FourFourTwo. "My dream is to play regular football at Manchester United."
While Sunderland fans will be dreaming of Amad remaining with them next term, United manager Ten Hag has already outlined his plans to bring the 20-year-old winger back into his first-team squad. "He's made really good progress [at Sunderland', so I'm happy with that," the Red Devils boss affirmed in January.
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"When we decide for him to come back, he has to be a player who can compete for the starting line-up or come on for a lot of games and make an impact."
Having spent the second half of last season at Rangers, Amad is beginning to show why United were so keen to seal the £37million transfer deal which saw him leave Italian side Atalanta in January 2021. Ex-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was a huge admirer of the youngster's talents and injury prevented him from making an impact before the Norwegian's sacking later that year.
Now it's Mowbray enjoying what Amad brings to the party, with the Black Cats boss saying after the Birmingham victory which sent Sunderland into ninth place, two points off final play-off berth: "He's an amazing footballer. What's going to stop him playing at the top level? Only himself."
Mowbray would love to keep the former Atalanta starlet around for another campaign, but admits that isn't likely given United's grand plans. "I know how much he enjoys his football and enjoys the environment, being around his team-mates," he explained in the lead-up to Saturday's win.
"But you have to put it into context – he's a Manchester United player and he cost them a lot of money. Whatever their plans are for him, we'll have to see."
