‘If I’m honest’ – Matt Le Tissier is worried about what he’s seen from Amad Diallo at Man United
Man United boss Ruben Amorim needs to play Amad further forward in attack rather than at wing-back due to his lack of defensive capabilities.
That is according to Premier League legend Matt Le Tissier, who has exclusively told Football Insider that the Ivorian winger would be better suited to playing at number 10 but Ruben Amorim is forcing him into the team as a wing-back.
Amad has been at Man United for nearly five years, but has been unable to nail down a consistent starting berth in any position since his arrival.
He featured 43 times in all competitions last term, with 28 starts as Amorim often decided to utilise his talents as a right-wing-back in his famed 3-4-2-1 formation.
The Ivorian has continued to play there this season, with four successive starts on the right of a back five, including last time out as Man United drew 2-2 at Nottingham Forest.
Amad showed positives and negatives against Nottingham Forest
United controversially went ahead through a Casemiro header at the City Ground on Saturday (1 November), but were soon level early in the second-half as Morgan Gibbs-White sent a header past Senne Lammens.
The England international had ghosted into the area behind Amad before easily beating him in the air to score, with the 23-year-old failing to do his job and clear his lines.
Nicolo Savona soon put the hosts ahead just two minutes later, but Amad rescued a point for Amorim’s side late on with a fine volley from the edge of the box that left Matz Sels with no chance.
The positive and negative aspects of playing him as a defender were on show, as he was at fault for a goal conceded but also did something that his wing-back competition Diogo Dalot would surely be unable to replicate.
Le Tissier urges Amorim to hand Amad new Man United role
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former England and Southampton striker Le Tissier told the United boss that he should play Amad as an attacker, and has to face that his defence will be weaker with the Ivorian in it.
He said: “I think at this stage in his career, I think further up the pitch would suit him better, if I’m honest. I think we did see with the Forest goal that he’s not a natural defender.
“And when you are put in as a wing back, yeah, it’s great when you’re bombing forward and you’ve got that quality going forward, but you have to balance that off when you are defending.
“Is he going to be strong enough in certain situations and have the right mentality to see things? Because defenders have to try and read things and see the dangers as forwards. I should know. I mean, I wasn’t very good at defending. I didn’t see the dangers.
“Good defenders spot the danger and put themselves in a position to be able to deal with it first, and he doesn’t have that yet. Now, he might develop that later on in his career, but I would say at this early stage, I think he would be better-suited to one of the more forward roles.
“But then it’s really difficult to try and get him in the team because you’ve got Mbeumo and Cunha who you’ve just spent huge amounts of money on. Who do you leave out of the team?
“So it is a tricky one for Amorim. If he is going to play Amad as that wing back, then he does have to concede that sometimes he might cost his team a goal because of his lack of defensive capabilities.”