A former fan favourite at Man United has warned the club not to be fooled by footage of Amad on YouTube and compared the winger to Brazilian star Antony.
Amad, 20, is on the books at Old Trafford but has been on loan at Sunderland this season, and has been a standout player amid their unlikely bid for the Championship play offs. The winger has scored 12 league goals and made four assists, but his immediate future is unclear with Erik ten Hag yet to confirm if he's part of his first-team plans for 2023/24.
The Ivory Coast international has also become something of an internet star, having been made the subject of numerous YouTube clips showcasing his fancy footwork. But Paul Parker, who won two Premier League titles with United in the 1990s, is not sold on the notion that Amad is ready to step up to the Premier League.
“I don't think that Amad is going to play a role (at United) next season," he told FutFanatico. "Sunderland are on a good run at the moment, so they are on a high. I’ve seen some games with him and he has done well but I’m still not sure about him. I expect him to go out on loan again because Man United wants him to play games and he is not going to do that at Man United."
And Parker, who also won the FA Cup and League Cup under Sir Alex Ferguson, then took an apparent swipe at Antony, who has impressed and frustrated in equal measures following his £80 million move from Ajax in the summer: "Those people saying that on social media might have seen a YouTube compilation with Amad but remember what Antony looked like on YouTube," he added.
"He was amazing. Football is not YouTube and he can’t claim a regular spot yet. Antony is still a better player but maybe in the future, Amad can do something for Man United.”
Amad signed for then-United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from Italian side Atalanta in January 2021, for an initial fee of £22 million. But he only made nine appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring once in the Europa League, before joining Rangers on loan 12 months later.
His form in Scotland proved enough to earn him an international call-up, and a place in the Ivory Coast under-23 team for the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Current boss Tony Mowbray has already stated that his key man is ready for a higher level, and has backed up to leave to a 'top' club elsewhere if he can't break in at United.
And Amad could yet leave the North East with hero status if he can help his side to a win over Preston in their final game of the season next Monday. That would leave the Black Cats relying on either Coventry to lose at Middlesbrough, or Millwall to slip up at home to Blackburn, to seal a stop six finish.
