As Rangers prepare to pack their bags for the Europa League final in Seville next week, Amad could be forgiven for packing his without too much optimism and excitement flowing through his veins.
The Manchester United youngster, who joined the Scottish giants on loan in the January transfer window, has not played a single minute of their fairytale adventure on route to facing Eintracht Frankfurt in Spain next Wednesday night. He has been an unused substitute in each of their eight Europa League matches since he joined the club, meaning he did not experience the thrill of playing in the Gers' famous wins over Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, amongst others.
In fact, it is not just in the Europa League where the Ivorian has been overlooked. He has struggled to be a regular fixture in manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst's plans in the league, too, playing just nine times. In all competitions, he has donned the famous blue shirt on just 11 occasions.
Despite scoring just five minutes into his Rangers debut in a 3-3 draw with Ross County back in January, his loan spell north of the border has proven to be hugely underwhelming for the 19-year-old, who swapped Atalanta for Old Trafford back in January last year, even though he scored against Ross County again on Wednesday night to take his tally for the club to three goals. The opportunity to join Rangers was meant to kick-start his career in British football and see him return to Old Trafford this summer in a position where he could stake a claim for a first-team place.
Instead, he will return to Old Trafford, you feel, even further away from a first-team berth than when he departed. It is why all of the pointers suggest that Amad would benefit from another loan spell elsewhere next season, even though incoming United boss Erik ten Hag might have different ideas.
But, on the face of it, it is hard to imagine Amad becoming a United regular so soon after struggling to make an impact in a league, with respect, that does not even come close to matching the standard of the Premier League. It is why United ought to pay close attention to which of their other current loanees that have thrived most this season when deciding on Amad's next move this coming summer.
A plethora of players left Old Trafford in pursuit of regular first-team football last summer and you can argue that it is the players that stepped into the blood and thunder of the Championship that have fared best. Ethan Laird thrived at Swansea City before joining Bournemouth in January, Di'Shon Bernard excelled at Hull City, Tahith Chong made encouraging noises at Birmingham City, despite his injury problems, and James Garner has excelled at Nottingham Forest, so much so that he is still in with a chance of ending the season with a first promotion on his CV.
Whilst the aforementioned quartet have all applied their trade in different circumstances and environments this season, they will all return to Old Trafford having benefited from their Championship experiences. England's second tier is widely considered among the most demanding and intensive leagues in world football, with anyone capable of beating anyone and the promotion picture, more often than not, being impossible to predict.
It is a league that demands incredibly high standards, both physically and mentally. The constant trend of playing every few days is gruelling and has the capability to destroy players who are not prepared to pull their weight.
But as proven by the successes Laird, Bernard, Chong and Garner have all enjoyed this season, certainly on personal notes, it highlights that the Championship can often be the stepping stone young players need to explore before being considered ready to play in the Premier League. Just ask Reece James, Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher, Jarrod Bowen and many others.
Although the Championship does not offer the added bonus of European football like the Scottish Premiership does, it does have a better track record, certainly in recent years, of being credited with being the birthplace of Premier League stars. Garner could be the next.
A season in the Championship could do wonders to help Amad gain a better understanding of English football, all whilst learning on the job by playing regularly. A player of the winger's talents will have clubs queuing around the block if he becomes available this summer.
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