Amad Diallo was not included in Manchester United’s under-23 squad for Monday night’s game with Leicester City.
The under-23s’ first fixture of the year could have been used as a chance to throw Diallo in, either as a starter or a substitute. Diallo was not even on the bench.
This is an early sign that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not willing to relinquish Diallo as a first team option and pass him to the under-23s. He spoke in his weekend press conference about Diallo’s positive early impression.
Solskjaer told the club website: “Amad has looked really comfortable and he’s settled in really well in training.
“It shows how technically adept he is and, of course, we’ll give him time to settle and adjust, but hopefully we can see him on the pitch in not too long. He’s definitely done well in training.
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Diallo’s absence sparked theories the young winger is being saved for a first team role later this week…
Two matches this week and incentive to rotate
This week provides a couple of options for Diallo to feature in United’s first team if the club see him as part of the squad.
United face Fulham on Wednesday night, a winnable fixture although a tricky one away from home with Scott Parker’s side picking up form.
Then United host Liverpool in a FA Cup tie which is could see several changes to the team which lined up in the Premier League at Anfield.
United will not pick a full strength team in both matches, and the cup game could see more rotation. But Diallo might sneak onto the bench against Fulham too.
The MEN reported Diallo was not considered for the under-23s because he is in United’s first team bubble. Yet young goalkeeper Matej Kovar trained with the first team last week and then started for the under-23s last night.
The under-23 game may also just have come too soon. Diallo has been in the country less than a week. United might not have decided what to do with him short-term.
To take an optimistic view, we might see Diallo make a cameo against either Fulham or Liverpool. If he continues to impress in first team training this week, he might just have a chance.
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