Tony Mowbray says he 'couldn't pick a team without' including Manchester United loanee Amad as the in-form forward continues to tear up the Championship with Sunderland. Amad scored the Black Cats' second goal in their 2-0 win against Middlesbrough at the Stadium of Light yesterday to take his total for the season to six.
The 20-year-old has earned rave reviews from Mowbray and from Sunderland fans for his skill and pace, and he has become one of the stars of the season for the Wearsiders. And Amad will spend the remainder of the season on loan at Sunderland with Manchester United''s option to recall him to Old Trafford this month - which had to be triggered by a certain date - understood to have lapsed.
After the Boro win, Mowbray revealed he had last week spoken to Manchester United's elite player performance manager Les Parry about Amad, and went on to say he believes the Ivory Coast international has the ability to play for the Red Devils in the Premier League - and what he now needs to do is prove he has the right personality to operate at that level, and that is something his stay at Sunderland is helping to develop. "I had a long chat with Les Parry about him this week," said Mowbray. "I think he's got the talent to play for Man Utd.
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"The question is whether he's got the personality to play there and break through that ceiling. He had a disappointing loan at Rangers last year but I couldn't pick a team without him right now.
"The ball sticks to his foot, he sees every pass and works really hard. We've worked hard on getting him to shoot more regularly, and so I can see his belief and his personality growing.
"The hope is he goes back to Man Utd, does what he does and finds himself around their team. He'll get opportunities I bet in pre-season and then it's down to him."
Former Blackburn Rovers boss Mowbray pointed out the similarity between Amad and young Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott, who spent the 2020-21 season on loan at Ewood Park. He said: "I've managed players like Harvey Elliott at Blackburn - he's a similar talent, plays with his head up.
"The ball is so easy for Amad, he doesn't have to think because he can just kill it dead and he sees the pass straight away. It's unbelievable how clever he is with the football. The talent will never be a problem for Amad.
"I'll be really interested to see how he goes."
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- Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick unhappy with key decisions in Sunderland defeat
- Sunderland player ratings as Amad, Ross Stewart and Dan Neil among star men in Middlesbrough win
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