1 assist, 2 shots, 100% tackles: United star had his best game under Carrick, he cannot afford to slack off next season

Manchester United swept Brighton & Hove Albion aside 3-0 in their final Premier League game of the season away at the Amex Stadium on Sunday. Patrick Dorgu opened the scoring from another Bruno Fernandes assist, while Bryan Mbeumo handed the visitors a two-nil lead heading into the break. In the second half, the Dane returned the favour to his skipper as the Portugal international rounded off the scoring. The Denmark international and the club captain will rightly take most of the credit for the Red Devils’ excellent end to the season, but Michael Carrick will be pleased with the performance put in by Amad. Amad registered his first assist of the year The Ivorian and Mason Mount combined to perfection, before the 23-year-old served it on a plate for Mbeumo to score United’s second of the day. It was the former Atalanta ace’s first assist of 2026, and a welcome return to form for a player who is among the very few to have struggled since Carrick’s arrival. StatValue Goals0 Expected goals (xG)0.16 Assists1 Expected assists (xA)0.75 Big chances created1 Key passes1 Crosses (accurate)1 (0) Accurate passes31/34 (91%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)23/24 (96%) Passes in own half (acc.)8/10 (80%) Total shots2 Expected goals on target (xGOT)0.46 Shots on target2 Shots blocked0 Touches47 Unsuccessful touches2 Dribbles (successful)2 (1) Possession lost8 Total carrying distance162.7 m Carries16 Progressive carries4 Total progression106.8 m Progressive carrying distance84.4 m Longest progressive carry29.9 m Defensive contributions3 Tackles (won)1 (1) Interceptions2 Clearances0 Blocked shots0 Recoveries7 Ground duels (won)5 (2) Fouls1 Dribbled past0 stats via sofascore Amad ended the game with an impressive pass completion rate of 91%, with 96% of his passes in the opposition half finding their target. He was not shot-shy, unlike in previous encounters, as he made the goalkeeper work with two decent attempts. His best performance under Carrick The right winger completed one dribble and was rock solid without the ball as well, winning all his tackles and making two interceptions. Relentless on the counter-press, he recovered the ball on seven occasions (all stats via sofascore). Since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, the Ivory Coast international has looked a shadow of his former self. He has struggled to beat his man and has chosen to pass when there was an opportunity to shoot, which just highlighted that his confidence was shot to bits. Time for Amad to start performing Why and how? Nobody knows, but an assist on the final day of the season will please both the head coach and the winger himself. There were murmurs that the 20-time English league champions should look to strengthen on the right given the struggles of Amad. Hopefully, he can use today’s performance as fuel and show up and start performing in pre-season to change the narrative around his future. Feature image Mike Hewitt via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25