Manchester United were able to sign the dazzling youngster of Serie A Amad Diallo this winter, but the people that have worked with the youngster previously have warned that he should quickly improve in some areas if he wishes to survive in the Premier League.
The Ivorian youngster’s value improved further following his impressive performances for the Italian club Atalanta.
The Red Devils had to fork out £37 million quickly in order to complete a deal for the Ivory international in the last summer transfer window, the deal came into fruition this winter.
The 18-year-old forward, who arrived at Old Trafford last week, was handed the No.19 jersey, which was previously worn by Marcus Rashford, as they are looking forward to his growth once he adapted to his new life in England.
While it might take some time before he finally gains his feet with the new team, he will still need to fight his way up into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer team to ensure a starting spot.
The Premier League is strangely different from the Italian Serie A and it will prove to be Diallo’s most difficult test with Denis Cerlini, who worked with the Ivorian youngster in the amateur team for Boca Barco, said that the Red Devils latest signing’s ability on air is not all that good.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Cerlini said: “Physically, Amad wasn’t the strongest at Boca Barco, and his heading abilities aren’t good.”
There is also former Italian international star Giovanni Galli, who stated almost the same thing after taking note of the Ivorian’s talent.
Galli said: “He must add a few kilograms of weight in order to survive in the Premier League.”
According to them, a player with the physicality of Diallo can easily be fouled when he is displaying his playmaking abilities or running with the ball. A continuous foul can only result in the player becoming more frustrated and could fail to make an impact in a game. Regardless, he is still considered as a special talent among players of his age, with BoyleSports online betting willing to place some interesting odds on his upcoming matches in United’s jersey.
Cerlini talked about Diallo, who he worked with when he was 12, he said: “We didn’t discover Amad, but rather he just came to us. It was a great stroke of luck.
“From the very first moment, it was evident the kid was special. He was very bold and quick, possessed great technique and a strong shot, and executed everything at great speed.
“Amad was popular in the dressing room. He made a lot of friends, learned Italian, and seemed to be a very determined guy who knew exactly what he wanted.”
Galli, who the former goalkeeper of Fiorentina and AC Milan, also added his bits about the young Ivorian forward: “A friend asked me to take a look at two guys – Amad and his older brother Hamed Junior Traore, who plays for Sassuolo nowadays.
“I worked at Lucchese in the third division at the time and invited them for a trial with our youngsters.
“I quickly saw they were simply too good for us. Amad played with bigger boys and drove them insane with his dribbling. Therefore, I made a few calls to Serie A clubs in order to tell them about the guys.
“At Atalanta, I spoke to the sporting director Gabriele Zamagna, and they duly signed Amad.”
Amad Diallo joined Atalanta in 2015 and has only been able to register five senior team appearances for the club before he was transferred to England to join up Manchester United.
We will be looking forward to the plans United boss Solskjaer has for the young Ivorian in the coming days.
