'Amazing talent' Amad is benefiting from flying under the Premier League radar according to Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray, as the youngster continues to blossom on Wearside. On-loan Manchester United wideman Amad last night scored his second goal in three games, finding the net in injury-time to seal a 2-0 win for the Black Cats at Huddersfield Town.
The Ivory Coast international arrived at Old Trafford in January 2021 from Italian side Atalanta for a reported fee of £20m which could rise as high as £35m with add-ons, and that pricetag brought with it a level of expectation and scrutiny. But the Red Devils opted to loan the 19-year-old out to Glasgow Rangers for the second half of last season, and then to Sunderland for the entirity of the current campaign.
And Mowbray believes his move to Sunderland has given him the opportunity to shine away from the harsh spotlight that falls upon players at Manchester United. "Knowing his personality, it's good that he's under the Premier League radar - under the Manchester United world support radar - but he's still at Sunderland where there are 40,000 at home games demanding that he runs and fights and chases and wins headers, and he has scored a couple of goals in the last three games," said Mowbray.
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"We can see on the training pitch that he has got amazing talent. You can see why Manchester United might have paid an incredible amount of money for him, because the ball sticks to his foot and he's fast and he knows where the net is - he's got a wand of a left foot.
"I think he just has to play football and enjoy football and grow, really. Whether he ever gets to the level [where he plays regularly for Manchester United] ... I hope he does."
Mowbray likens the situation with Amad at Sunderland to the one he had as Blackburn Rovers manager, when Liverpool allowed their teenage midfielder Harvey Elliott to move to Ewood Park on loan in the 2020-21 season. That gave Elliott the chance to play regular first team football, scoring seven goals in 41 Championship appearances for Rovers, before returning to Anfield where he has gone on to break into Jurgen Klopp's side.
Mowbray said: "At Blackburn Rovers we had Harvey Elliott for a season and again sometimes they have to make the step up. Amad has got amazing talent like Harvey Elliott has amazing talent.
"Whether he ever makes the jump to play for Manchester United and have to win every game, we'll see what the future holds for him. We're pleased that he's with us and he's helped us over the last few games."
Amad scored his first goal for Sunderland in the 4-2 home defeat against Burnley the weekend before last, before notching his second last night at the John Smith's Stadium. Sunderland's next game sees them take on Cardiff City at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
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