Amad Diallo didn’t leave much of an impression at Ibrox, but he’s Old Trafford’s new hero.
The 22-year-old attacker netted an incredible 12 minute hat-trick to save Manchester United from an embarrassing defeat against bottom of the table Southampton; scoring a superb solo effort to level the scores, a clinical finish from a clever Christian Eriksen pass then turned the game around – before Amad pounced on a defensive blunder in stoppage time to complete his treble. It was a far cry from the sort of performance Rangers fans had seen from the £19m man – who made his debut for the Glasgow club three years ago this month, scoring in a 3-3 draw with Ross County.
He would start just six matches under the management of Giovanni van Bronckhorst, netting three times before returning to United and being loaned out to Sunderland. This year has been a breakthrough one for the Ivory Coast international, who also bagged a stoppage time winner in the Manchester derby success against Man City. And Rangers hero Ally McCoist was full of praise for the youngster, saying: “He’s just about single-handedly got them out of jail. He’s a breath of fresh air. He’s so positive. Southampton must be scratching their heads wondering how they are leaving with no points.”
United hero Paul Scholes said: “For 80 minutes that’s as bad a performance as you’ll see, especially against a team at the bottom of the league. I thought Southampton were so much better than Manchester United for 75 or 80 minutes. Diallo was the one bright spark, but I still think the manager will be bitterly disappointed with that performance. Diallo has produced the win with the hat-trick, he’s the only player who can take credit from tonight.”
And fans on social media were full of praise for United’s new hero, with one saying: “I’ve ran out of words to describe Amad, one of the best attackers in the league.” Another added: “We have an absolute superstar here, baffling Ten Hag didn’t play him” and a third posting: “Amad Diallo is absolutely world class, we are blessed to have him in our team, wow.”