“Not his best”: Local media tear into United star after heart-breaking defeat at World Cup

Manchester United winger Amad has had a strong end to the season. Season The Ivorian struggled for form somewhat after reverting to a winger role, having previously played as a wingback under Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim. Amad created a lovely goal for Bryan Mbeumo on the last day of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion. He also scored the winner in a pre-World Cup friendly victory over France for the Ivory Coast. The winger maintained this good form by scoring a goal off the bench to give his national side a victory over Ecuador at the World Cup. Match versus Germany The 23-year-old was rewarded for his strong efforts with a start against Germany in the Ivory Coast’s second group match. His blocked shot led to the Ivorians taking the lead through Franck Kessie, but they were pegged back and conceded a late goal, giving the Germans victory in the 94th minute of action. After the match, Amad spoke confidently about his team’s chances of making it into the next round of the competition. Media reaction Linf Drome commented that, “it’s true that starting Yan Diomandé on the right wing and then bringing on Amad Diallo in the second half, as against Ecuador, might have yielded a better result.” Another media outlet, SuperSport, was a bit more positive about the United man and claimed, “not his best performance, but he did produce two key passes and tried to create something on the right wing with seven progressive carries.” Amad and the Ivory Coast will need at least a point to qualify for the next phase, but a victory over Curaçao would guarantee qualification. They will next be in action on the 25th June. Amad stats vs Germany MetricValue Goals0 Expected goals (xG)0.3 Assists0 Expected assists (xA)0.17 Key passes2 Crosses (accurate)2 (1) Accurate passes17/18 (94%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)10/11 (91%) Passes in own half (acc.)7/7 (100%) Distance covered8.2 km Top speed31.2 km/h Number of sprints14 Running1.23 km (15%) High-speed running0.4 km (4.9%) Sprinting0.18 km (2.2%) Total shots1 Shots on target0 Shots blocked1 Big chances missed1 Touches35 Unsuccessful touches1 Dribbles (successful)5 (0) Possession lost10 Total carrying distance134.4 m Carries13 Progressive carries3 Total progression41.5 m Progressive carrying distance43.1 m Longest progressive carry16.4 m Def. contributions4 Tackles (won)2 (2) Interceptions2 Clearances0 Blocked shots0 Recoveries4 Ground duels (won)9 (2) Dribbled past0 Source: Sofascore Featured image Michael Reaves/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 Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.