Sunderland have ‘inquired’ about Amad Diallo but sporting director Kristjaan Speakman is far from confident that the Manchester United and Premier League starlet will return for a second spell at the Championship outfit.
Considering that the former Atalanta whizzkid spent much of last season looking like a big fish in a relatively small pond – Amad Diallo boasting game-changing talents far above your average second-tier player – the Sunderland chief certainly isn’t holding his breath ahead of the final week of the window.
The Black Cats, Speakman admits, would be ‘lucky’ to get their mitts on Diallo again.
That has not stopped them trying, however, Sunderland buying a ticket and hoping to win the raffle.
Sunderland hope for Amad Diallo return
“The situation with Amad is really clear,” Speakman tells the Northern Echo. “We’ve got a really positive relationship with the boy and his people. We’ve got a really positive relationship with Manchester United.
“And I think everyone was really delighted on all sides with what happened last season.
“Do we think he’s a player that could come and improve our team? Yes. Have we inquired about him? Yes. Have we kept in contact? Of course we have. If we hadn’t kept in contact about him, my head might be on a stake at the beach!”
Diallo, who cost Man United a cool £19 million, scored 14 often spectacular goals at Sunderland last season, firing Tony Mowbray’s side into the play-off places. He was expected to fight for a first-team spot under Erik ten Hag after returning to Old Trafford, but a long-term knee injury meant he had to wait until December 30th to make his first appearance of the current campaign.
Injury disrupts Manchester United breakthrough
“That’s where it’s at,” Speakman adds. “If that picture changes in any shape or form, then we’ll be on it and we’ll understand where it sits.
“That doesn’t mean that, even if he became available, we would get him though. Because, as I’ve said on numerous occasions, I think he’s a tier-one player. So he’s probably going to be playing in one of the top leagues somewhere.
“He’s a tier-one player. I think we’d be lucky if we got him on loan again because of the level he can play at. I know he enjoyed (his time at Sunderland), and that’s great.
“How fantastic that we had a top player came to Sunderland and thoroughly enjoyed his time with supporters, staff and team-mates.”
According to the Manchester Evening News, the likelihood is that Diallo stays put for the next few months, with fellow wideman Facundo Pellistri expected to join Granada until the summer.
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