Roy Keane hopes that Manchester United finally have a manager who can make the most of their young starlets after watching Amad Diallo make an instant impact in Ruben Amorim’s first few games in charge.
Amad was the difference-maker for Manchester United as they came from a goal behind to claim a 2-1 victory away to Manchester City, with the winger first winning a penalty – converted by Bruno Fernandes – and then producing a sensational moment in an otherwise abysmal derby game to flick the ball over Ederson before finishing from a narrow angle.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Keane said: “He’s been the biggest plus, no doubt, for the new manager. He’s had the biggest impact with the penalty and the goal – the finish certainly wasn’t easy – and he’s a player willing to run forward as well.
“It was a brilliant moment for him, and well deserved. He’s got a bit of energy, he’s got a bit of quality, a young kid learning his trade. Obviously you always worry and I just hope he stays grounded, but a good afternoon for him.”
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Fellow pundit Micah Richards chipped in: “I think he’s been the best player for Manchester United this season, taking it all into consideration: new manager, how young he is. He was really good at Sunderland and scored a lot of goals, and he’s definitely made the step up.
“I just enjoy watching him: his enthusiasm, his running in behind, and he’s not afraid to go at somebody. He’s got that confidence and belief that he can play at this level.”
Keane agreed: “Be prepared to run in behind. The game has changed a lot the last few years, everyone wants to come deep and get touches, but you need someone running in beyond the ball, running beyond the striker. There’s where United got their best moments.
“You look for certain traits in a Man United player and he looks like he’s got that. He looks like he’s comfortable in the jersey. We’ve talked a lot about the recruitment and players who can’t find their feet at Man United but he looks like he’s OK with being a Man United player.
“That’s the key for any young player when you come to any big club: how you deal with the expectancy of pressure, contract situations, your family around him. That goes for any player going to a big club.
“I always say to young players to be grounded and enjoy it, and big moments like that, absolutely fantastic.”
Keane hopes that Amorim will now be able to help keep Amad in consistent form as well as bringing through some of United’s other young prospects, saying: “I think that’s obviously why the manager got the job.
“They’ll have looked at his previous track record, particularly at Lisbon, working with younger players and developing selling them on, as he had to do at Lisbon, maybe not so much at Man United.
“This was a great game for Man United. There was no real expectation on them to get a result, but that might just be the spark they need for the manager and the staff. They’ve only been in the door a few weeks but it’s given everyone a lift, you’ve seen everyone kissing the badge, that’s great.
“Now they’ve got to go in tomorrow and get ready for a cup game on Thursday. They’ve created a bit of spark themselves – with a bit of self-destruction from Manchester City, you need a bit of help along the way.
“Now they have to bring it to Spurs on Thursday night. They need to put in a spirited performance, and they’ll need a bit more quality, but they found a way to win today.”
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