Manchester United are rarely shy in forking out a staggering transfer fee, but even the Red Devils raised eyebrows when they announced the signing of unproven teenage talent Amad back in January of 2021.
An initial sum of £19million was paid to Serie A outfit Atalanta, while the remaining £18m would be paid in instalments when bonus-related clauses were triggered. An unknown quantity to large sections of the United faithful, few knew just what the Red Devils were getting by signing the Ivorian.
Then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could barely contain his excitement and discussed Amad at length before the switch had actually even been confirmed, with the Norwegian waxing lyrical over the wide-forward.
"We have had all the paperwork, I can't see any obstacles. He's coming," Solskjaer told reporters. "I hope very soon he will be with us. I'm very excited about bringing him in. I think he's shown a few times his qualities.
"Of course, he has to learn to play in England, that's a different level of football. We'll give him time to develop and to express himself."
Well, over two years down the line, it is difficult to analyse Amad's switch and whether it has been a successful one. Things started well, with the youngster notching his first senior goal for the club just two months after Solskjaer's comments, the talent scoring a glorious looping header against Italian giants AC Milan in the Europa League knockout stage.
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However, his progression soon stalled and by the turn of the calendar year Amad had joined Rangers on loan. A debut goal was just what the doctor ordered, but much like at Old Trafford, his development stuttered in Scotland.
It wasn't until August of last year that the tide truly turned. Amad joined Sunderland on loan upon the Black Cats' return to the Championship and by December he had already picked up an EFL Young Player of the Month award.
He has hardly slowed down since and as things stand boasts nine goals and two assists for Sunderland in the league alone. Not only is the 20-year-old improving his output, but Amad has also clearly been in the gym between his United debut and now.
The former Atalanta ace discussed his physical transformation with MUTV, as well as shedding light on his morale at the moment.
"When I arrived at Manchester United, I was a bit thin," he conceded. "But, yes, now I do lots in the gym, even when I’m at home and I haven’t much to do. I think that it is needed for playing here in England because you need to do everything you can to be able to react to playing in this league.
"We’ve faced many teams in the Championship that had very physical players but I think the game doesn’t always depend on the physicality because I think, if you have the technical ability and if you have the ability to play fast, your physicality is less important.
"But yes, like I said before, it is important to have muscles to play against defenders. However, if you are intelligent players that can make the difference, then it’s needed less. I was even the Young Player of the Month [for December]. It was a very great feeling for me. I hope to continue in this and play very good this season."
Solskjaer's excitement over Amad was clearly not misplaced and who knows what the future holds upon the winger's return to Old Trafford this summer.
