Amad Diallo has insisted he wants to fight his way into the Manchester United team when he returns from his loan spell at Sunderland.
The attacker was signed from Atalanta in 2021, but has made just nine appearances for the Red Devils since his arrival at Old Trafford. Instead, he has spent much of the past two seasons on loan, first at Rangers last year before joining the Black Cats in the summer.
He has enjoyed a successful time at the Stadium of Light, scoring 11 goals and notching three assists in all competitions. Now, the Ivory Coast international feels ready to make the step up to Erik ten Hag's first-team squad back at United.
Amad has opened up on being overwhelmed when he first joined the Premier League giants. And while he admitted to not playing at his best for the Red Devils, he believes he is capable of delivering for them.
"I know it was a lot of money, but I didn’t really think about that; there’s no reason to worry about things you can’t influence. I was so happy to sign for Manchester United: it’s a club with a massive history, famous all around the world," Amad told FourFourTwo.
"I haven’t shown my best for them yet, but I hope next season I can return and prove my talent. My dream is to play regular football at Manchester United."
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Amad has scored once in his nine outings for United so far, in the draw with AC Milan in the 2020/2021 Europa League campaign. He has a more impressive record for the club's Under 23s, registering six goals and four assists in just five appearances in Premier League 2 since his arrival.
His goals have helped Sunderland to mount an unlikely play-off challenge in their first season back in the Championship. The Black Cats are four points behind sixth-placed Blackburn Rovers with just five games left of the season.
Ten Hag was thought to be considering recalling Amad back to United in the January transfer window. The exit of Cristiano Ronaldo had left the Red Devils light in attacking areas.
But the Dutchman opted to let him remain at Sunderland, with United set to reap the rewards. When explaining his decision to not recall the attacker, Ten Hag opened the door to Amad fighting for a starting spot next season.
"We consider everything, but I have a little bit of reservation about that because I don’t want to stop the process. He's made really good progress there so I’m happy with that.
"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."
