Amad Diallo has come a very long way since his underwhelming stint at Rangers.
The young Ivorian has transformed himself into the classic ‘late bloomer’ after many eyebrows were raised when Manchester United forked out £37 million for the teenager in 2020. Atalanta must have been rubbing their hands to offload a player for such fee having only 76 minutes of professional football under his belt when the deal was announced.
Diallo made the switch official in January 2021 with then Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer calling him “one of the most exciting young prospects in the game”. Fast forward from then to Thursday night and many would be forgiven for thinking it has been all plain sailing. A record 12-minute hat trick against Southampton saw the Stretford End bow to its new favourite son leaving Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho in his shadow.
But his career has been far from perfect so far. And after his late meteoric rise many Rangers fans have recently been pondering – was Amad Diallo’s time at Ibrox unfairly judged?
Was Amad Diallo really that bad for Rangers?
Diallo’s critics were patting themselves on the back when he struggled to make an impression at Old Trafford. In 12 months he made just nine appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal. Something had to change.
Enter Rangers. The Glasgow club snapped up the skilful winger in January 2022 on a six-month loan deal. The youngster was “delighted” for his big chance under Gio van Bronckhorst who said he would “add a lot” to the squad as the Light Blues looked to defend their title against Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic. And things got off to a perfect start. Just 24 hours after his move Diallo hit the ground running by getting off the mark just minutes into his debut against Ross County.
But the next up was a crucial title clash with Celtic at Parkhead and despite being just 19 years old he was played from the start – a huge opportunity for someone so young. An opportunity that passed him by in brutal fashion. Rangers were 3-0 down at half time with Reo Hatate grabbing double. Diallo was taken off at the break for Fashion Sakala,along with Glen Kamara and Borna Barisic.
Many supporters feel this was the moment that doubt was cast on if Diallo could truly cut it at the top level. Things were never quite the same from that point. He played just six minutes in the next game, a 5-0 win over Hearts, before spending the entire 90 minutes rooted to the bench for the 2-0 victory over Hibs.
Van Bronkhorst appeared to have lost trust in him so early into his Gers spell. His appearances were sporadic with just two more goals scored before his loan spell ended. He was never trusted in big matches and didn’t see a single minute of action in Rangers’ historic run to the UEFA Europa League final. Scott Wright, who now plies his trade with Birmingham City, was often preferred and even started over him in the final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Despite the game going all the way to extra time and penalties, Diallo was left to ponder what could have been in Seville. His Dutch manager was convincing no one Diallo had his trust. Speaking in April 2022 said: “I think he has talent. He came in in the winter break, he had some good moments but also some moments that were not so good.”
Despite his European exile, Diallo revelled in the Scottish Cup victory over Hearts where he played over an hour of the final. And as his loan stint was winding down his form began to pick up with goals against Ross County and Dundee United. But truth be told made too little impact during his 13 games for the Ibrox side. He looked raw and lightweight, albeit the talent there for the manager and supporters to see.
Rangers fans still holding a candle for him will have been scratching their heads after his revelatory loan spell at Sunderland. He made 42 appearances on Wearside, finished top scorer with 14 goals and also lifted a number of individual awards.
Come 2025 the player has transformed himself and penned a new deal that commits him to the Old Trafford club until 2030. His winner away at Manchester City before Christmas and a dramatic late equaliser at Liverpool last weekend show that he always had the talent, he just needed time to get used to the pressure.
Rangers fans who have long rated Diallo can have their feelings summarised by former United defender Rio Ferdinand. He said: “People inside and outside the club were thinking he’s too small, too lightweight, not dynamic or powerful for its league. Fans were thinking: ‘we don’t know what he is’. But he’s gone out on loan. With and without the ball, he’s been brilliant. I think he’s a real footballer now.”