Amad Diallo starred in Manchester United’s win over Rangers on Saturday before it emerged why he missed the club’s first pre-season game against Rosenborg in Trondheim earlier in the week.

Manager Erik ten Hag saw Diallo score an excellent opening goal in the 2-0 win at Murrayfield and then revealed that the winger was ‘not allowed to go into Norway’ for the 1-0 defeat to Rosenborg on Monday.

It’s understood that Diallo renewed his Ivory Coast passport at the end of last season and it did not arrive in time for the trip to Trondheim. However, the 22-year-old has now received the new passport and his US visa will be in place for the summer tour to America when United fly out next week.

Diallo was United’s brightest player against the team where he was on loan for six months in 2022, and capped an excellent first-half performance when he fired Ten Hag’s side ahead in the 39th minute against Rangers.

He had an impressive end to last season as well, highlighted by a memorable injury-time winner against Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, and Ten Hag has challenged the player to go to the next level this term.

Amad Diallo was on the scoresheet in Manchester United's friendly victory against Rangers

The United manager drew a distinction between Diallo and the young United team that played in the second half at Murrayfield. ‘We have to see Amad in a different way,’ said Ten Hag. ‘Of course, he is still young but he is not inexperienced anymore. Last season he had bad times with bad injuries and before that he was in the Championship and he had a great season (with Sunderland).

‘At the end of last season he had a very good time in our first-team and played some good games. Now this has to be the year. It’s great that he started like this. On Monday he couldn’t play, he wasn’t allowed to go into Norway, but today he could play and he played a very good game.’

Ten Hag was pleased with the response from his players to the defeat in Trondheim that sends them into the tour on a high. ‘Pre-season I want to win every game so I was very disappointed on Monday especially with the performance. The performance is even more important in pre-season – you want to grow,’ he added.

‘In comparison with Monday’s low standards today was much better, especially in the respect of the aggressiveness. We were much more on the front foot. It was enjoyable to watch.

‘First we have to make a very good training week, a hard training week. There is the travel to LA which will take one day and then we have to acclimatise to a new time. Then we have to work further on our fitness and our game model, against Arsenal it will be another step.’

Ten Hag also praised the new leadership team at United led by sporting director Dan Ashcroft after Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee were both signed so early in the transfer window. Yoro made an assured debut against Rangers just three days after his £59million move from Lille.

‘It is very good that we are also there on the front foot,’ said Ten Hag. ‘We are very proactive so the leadership is doing a great job in this moment. This is how we want to act. As United, we want to be highly ambitious and on the front foot and be ready for the season. The earlier you get the players in we can work on our team.’