Manchester United loanee Amad could play upfront for Sunderland due to Tony Mowbray’s Black Cats suffering with injuries.
The Ivory Coast international will spend the 2022-23 campaign on loan at the Stadium of Light and he has so far made three substitute appearances for the Championship side.
The 20-year-old’s impressive cameo last time out against Watford drew praise from Mowbray, and the former Blackburn Rovers manager claimed after the 2-2 draw at Vicarage Road that the Ivorian wasn’t far away from securing his first start.
Amad could play upfront for Sunderland due to injuries
Whilst forward duo Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms recover from the respective injuries, Sunderland’s Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman believes that Amad as well as Leon Dajaku were capable of leading the line.
According to The Northern Echo, Stewart is not expected to be back in action for over a month after picking up a thigh injury in the warm-up before the Black Cats were beaten by Middlesbrough at the start of the month.
Meanwhile, Simms limped off in the 3-0 win over Reading the following week.
Despite Mowbray’s side being light on out-and-out strikers, Speakman has suggested that Sunderland won’t be looking at free agents.
Instead he believes that Amad is more than capable of occupying the position.
Speakman told SAFC Unfiltered via The Northern Echo: “I think if our model was to play two up top, we’d probably would have more numbers in that area because you’d be looking to play two every week. Our structure was to play one so naturally that would have been Ross. Then Ellis would fight that spot out.
“We wanted some tactical flexibility and some difference in the team so with Amad and Leon, we had that four for two spaces. When you do play 4-3-3, then the natural thought is that you want a bigger and stronger player at the top end of the pitch but it doesn’t mean you have to play that way.
“Amad played up front for Man United in pre-season in a similar shape, Leon played for us against Roma in a similar shape and both individually within those two sets of games did really well. We think we have got enough quality.
“We can go out tomorrow and get a number nine. But if he doesn’t get in front of Leon or Amad, then there is zero point in having him.”
The former Atalanta youngster did score in Manchester United’s last pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano when occupying the number nine role.
United’s number 16 also displayed his predatory instincts when scoring a looping header over Gianluigi Donnarumma, in the Europa League, against AC Milan in March 2021.
The four-time Ivory Coast international scored three times during his loan spell with last season’s beaten Europa League finalists Rangers.
Sunderland face Preston North End this weekend and Amad could come up against his Manchester United teammate Alvaro Fernandez who is spending the campaign on loan at Deepdale.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
