Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray admitted that he finds it 'difficult to believe' that he has Manchester United loanee Amad in his squad after he scored one and made another during Friday night's 2-1 win over Birmingham City at St Andrew's.
The youngster, who joined the Championship outfit on a season-long loan deal in August, provided an excellent assist for Ellis Simms to open the scoring, producing some outstanding ball control and skill, before bending home a sumptuous second just after half time. He was a constant threat and Birmingham found it hard to deal with him.
Following a slow start to life at the club, Amad has gone up through the gears in recent weeks, producing a string of fine performances. His attacking output has also improved, registering four direct goal contributions in his last five appearances.
READ MORE: Fans go wild at Amad's stunning goal and assist for Sunderland
In the absence of star man Ross Stewart, the United loanee has been forced to play as a makeshift striker. Nevertheless, he has proven himself to be a key figure in the Black Cats' recent return to form.
And for Mowbray, who oversaw Harvey Elliott's development on loan at Blackburn Rovers two seasons ago, Amad is making it hard for him to believe that Sunderland have actually got him, such has been the impressive nature of his performances of late.
"Diallo is an amazing footballer," said Mowbray. "He's come to the party.
"I think there's an understanding that this kid has real talent and deserves to be well respected within the team. Someone told me he cost £37million and I find it difficult to believe he’s at Sunderland.
"For me to pick Diallo ahead of Patrick Roberts when I'd said he was the best player in the league is big. But Diallo's training has been unbelievable, how fast he is, how direct he is and how good he is with the ball.
"You look at his physical data in every match in the last three or four games, he's been the highest distance covered, the highest sprint distance covered, the highest high-intensity energy runs. He scored a wonderful goal but we see him do that every day."
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