Will Man Utd recall Amad Diallo? Ten Hag has 'reservations'

WHAT HAPPENED? Amad initially joined United from Atalanta for £37 million in January 2021, but the winger failed to find his feet at Old Trafford. In order to fast-track his development, United loaned Amad to Rangers and then to Championship side Sunderland in the summer. The 20-year-old has impressed at the Stadium of Light in 2022-23, recording four goals and one assist in his last seven league appearances to spark talk of an early return to Old Trafford. Ten Hag has openly admitted that United are in need of extra attacking reinforcements this month, but the Dutch manager does not want to disrupt Amad's progress by bringing him back too soon.

WHAT THEY SAID: The United boss told a press conference when quizzed on the possibility of cutting Amad's loan short: “We consider everything but I have a little bit of reservation about that because I don’t want to stop the process. He has made really good progress there so I’m happy with that. But young players need experiences and when we decide for him to come back, he has to be a player who can compete for the starting XI or minimum to come on for a lot of games and make an impact.

"But I see and value his potential and capabilities. What I saw is that he needs experience in men’s football, senior football. I think there are many aspects of football to get strong physically and mentally, and also skills-wise to improve and develop that so he can have value for us."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: While Ten Hag believes that Amad has the qualities to shine at United in the future, he has only made nine senior outings for the club to date, and his current contract is due to expire in 2025. The likes of Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial are currently all competing for roles in the final third at Old Trafford and it remains to be seen whether Amad fits into Ten Hag's long-term plans.

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WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD & AMAD? United will next face Bournemouth on Tuesday in the Premier League, while Amad will hope to continue his rich vein of form against Shrewsbury in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.