Even Manchester United’s social media team almost gave up.
At every Premier League club there is an intense need for interaction on match nights.
But sometimes it doesn’t seem to make much sense.
“Probably a clear winner, but the poll is open anyway,” was United’s announcement pushed through their airwaves about 10 minutes after the final whistle. 3-1 success over Southampton.
They knew, like everyone in the stadium, who the man of the match would be.
At this point, Amad Diallo didn’t even leave the field. After catching the match ball and thanking all four Old Trafford teams for their adulation, the Ivory Coast player was dragged to a quickly erected portable broadcast table to talk about his momentous achievement of equalizing eight minutes before what had been a lukewarm finish. two goals in stoppage time gave United the win.
“You have to believe in football,” the 22-year-old began.
He meant the game. He could talk about his entire time at United.
At the time of Erik ten Haga’s dismissal on 28 October 2024, Diallo had played 12 matches since joining the club from Atalanta in 2021. He had spent 18 months on loan at Rangers and Sunderland, with his contract due to expire at the end of the season. season, there was no obvious likelihood of an extension beyond triggering an option that would mean he couldn’t simply leave for free.
How different Diallo’s world looks now.
Ten Haga has played 12 games since leaving, first under Ruud van Nistelrooy and then Ruben Amorim. He scored eight goals, including a late winner against Manchester City, a late equalizer against Liverpool and now a 12th-minute hat-trick in the closing stages of a home game against bottom club Southampton, who were threatening an extremely embarrassing defeat.
He too signed a new five-year contract.
“[It is] maybe this is one of the best weeks of my life,” Diallo told TNT after scoring his first senior hat-trick.
“We believed until the end and we are happy that we won the match. We drew against Arsenal and Liverpool, so there was confidence.”
Diallo spoke about United’s two previous results, which Amorim admitted before the match, using counter-attacking tactics. United simply couldn’t implement it at Old Trafford against a team that had previously won only once in the league and were left out of the result. bottom of the table.
But Amorim’s fears threatened to turn into a terrible reality as time wore on after a performance as poor as any since he left Sporting to try and sort out the mess United had become.
