Michael Carrick has warned his Middlesbrough defenders to be wary of the threat of Sunderland loan star Amad Diallo on Sunday, with the Manchester United forward well-known to the Boro boss.
The young Ivorian joined Manchester United from Atalanta in 2021 when Carrick was still part of the coaching team at Old Trafford. As such, he has first-hand knowledge of just how talented the forward is, as he thrives during a loan spell at Sunderland. Impressing at the Stadium of Light with his fast and direct style, he has six goals and one assist to date.
And with Carrick now preparing his Boro side for Sunday's trip to Sunderland for the Wear-Tees derby, as is customary, some of the focus will be on the opposition's strengths and weaknesses. The Boro head coach won't have needed to do too much research to identify Amad's threat, however.
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“Sunderland are a very good team and have a very good forward line," Carrick said respectfully when asked about Tony Mowbray's side ahead of the Championship clash. "I know Amad very well from United. He’s a terrific footballer and seems to have jumped up a level again from the start of the season.
"His performances have improved and he is a threat. Not just Amad though, right across the frontline Sunderland have really good individuals who can change games at any moment and cause you problems. That’s why they’re up there at the moment and they are a danger. That’s a challenge, of course, but it’s one we’re ready for and we’re looking forward to the game."
Asked how his Boro side might stop the lively Manchester United loanee, he continued: “That’s the challenge. He’s a talented player, really smooth on the ball and has a lovely feel for how he takes the ball. He’s sharp, has injection and he sees space very well.
"Obviously I know him and have watched him very closely. He’s not easy to stop because he’s one of the better players, but that’s the challenge we face. We face different challenges and little scenarios every week, but we’ll do our work to be ready."
Carrick knows better than to focus all of his attention on Amad, though. He is respectful of Mowbray's side, who sit tenth going in during their first season back from League One. In Ross Stewart, for example, they have a centre-forward who Boro looked at ahead of this month's transfer window and, with nine goals in 12 games, is proving more prolific even than Chuba Akpom in terms of his minutes per goal ratio.
“Like every other game we respect and appreciate the challenges that we face," Carrick previewed. "We’ll definitely do work towards stopping their threat, and I should imagine they will be doing something similar. It’s getting the balance right in terms of how much you change or tweak. The boys will be aware of their players and their threats, like they are every week, and we’ll go into it confident and looking forward to it.”
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