Manchester United are in serious trouble offensively with Amad Diallo’s season crashing to a close after an injury last week.
Ruben Amorim simply cannot catch a break right now at Manchester United, yet performances are improving.
Last week Amorim got what he has been waiting for at Old Trafford with a full week of training. This should have left United no excuses but to perform, yet Amorim was struck with an injury plague.
Just one senior player was fit to be named on the bench against Tottenham on Sunday, with seven academy players called up by Amorim.
Of all the injuries and illness’ it is Amad Diallo who was the biggest blow as his season is ended due to ankle ligament damage sustained in training. Amad’s impact on United is huge and without him, the team are lacking not only the primary creator and goalscorer but also his work rate as a right-sided No.10.
However, while not at the same level just yet, Amorim has a player with similar unsung qualities in Amir Ibragimov.
Amir Ibragimov can replace Amad Diallo’s defensive output for Manchester United
Within Manchester United’s fabled academy, there are few talents right now who are more exciting than Ibragimov. At the age of just 16, Ibragimov has already scored against senior opposition for the U21s and trained with the first team – despite having injury struggles over the past year.
| Level | Goals | Assists |
| U18 | 6 | 6 |
| U21 | 2 | 0 |
MUTV’s Ben Thornley is a fan of the teenager, saying that Ibragimov is a joy to watch after one of his trademark performances this season.
“He’s quite a joy to watch, not just tonight. I’ve seen him in numerous under-18s matches, and he’s proving to be quite a clever player.”
Despite the silky technical ability that Ibragimov possesses, he has been demonstrating some different qualities as well this season – which are reminiscent of Amad’s off-the-ball talents.
Amad is a luxury player, yet he does the dirty work that Amorim demands from his players. Amad has created four goals through his defensive actions and this is something Ibragimov is doing particularly well for the U18s.
Amorim wants players with intensity and previously asked for his team to “run like mad dogs”, which is a wish Amad has and Ibragimov could fulfil.
Ibragimov’s work rate will catch Ruben Amorim’s eye
Ibragimov’s work rate has been lauded by MUTV pundit Liam Bradford this season, during a 3-0 win over Leeds.
“Ibragimov again”, Bradford remarked as the 16-year-old made a tackle after tracking back, “he’s absolutely everywhere. A real nuisance for the opposition”.
On Tuesday night, Ibragimov was once again putting in the yards and winning back the ball for his team. On one occasion, the Dagestan-born youngster tracked back to near his own box before winning the ball back with a great tackle.
Ibragimov has the pressing quality of Amad as well, as he can nip in quickly to poke a ball off a defender and he was unlucky during United’s 2-1 win over Wolves not to score or assist.
As impressive as he is, Ibragimov is not getting called up to the first-team just yet – however with the back end of this season likely to have no stakes, perhaps Amorim will experiment as he surely likes what he sees.
Especially with Joshua Zirkzee as the current option in the role, a player who lacks the intensity and speed to make the kind of plays that Amad and Ibragimov are getting good at.
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