Manchester United are reportedly set to reward Amad Diallo with a bumper new five-year contract worth “triple” his current deal.
The 22-year-old winger produced a brilliant performance in last night’s Europa League win over Greek side PAOK Salonika, scoring twice as United ran out 2-0 winners. It was far from a comfortable evening for the Red Devils, however.
Interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy watched his side struggle in the first-half, describing the performance as “pretty poor…if I’m being nice” with the opposition often looking like the better team, in and out of possession.
There was a renewed energy as United re-entered the field following half-time, but it was ultimately Amad’s decisive ‘one-two combo’ which proved decisive in overcoming a resilient PAOK side.
The Ivorian international’s first was a brilliantly taken header from a Bruno Fernandes diagonal ball, looping over the goalkeeper to nestle in the far corner.
His second was perhaps even better, given the work rate he displayed, aggressively pressing the PAOK defence to win the ball back before bearing down on goal and curling the ball with his left foot in a style reminiscent of Arjen Robben, albeit with a helpful deflection en route.
Amad has seen his gametime limited in recent months with a sense that recently departed Erik ten Hag never warmed to the player, often dropping him following performances which other players were consistently excused for.
The 22-year-old is entering the final year of his contract at Old Trafford, though the club reserves the right to extend this by twelve months, providing some security against a potential departure.
There is not thought to be any desire on Amad’s part to leave United, however, and it seems this is reciprocated by the club, who are set to offer the winger a lucrative contract extension.
Neil Custis (The Sun) reveals United will offer Amad a five-year deal worth three times his current salary. The 22-year-old’s current deal is thought to be worth around £30,000 a week, meaning this new offer would be worth £90,000-a-week.
Contract negotiations have been ongoing for some time between the player’s representatives and the club, but it now appears like United are willing to show their hand; and Amad’s comments in his post-match interview after last night’s win appear to show it’s reciprocal.
“I’m happy to be here. I’m happy to play for this club, and yeah, I want to stay here for a long, long, long time to make history with this club,” United’s match winner revealed.
Featured image Naomi Baker via Getty Images
Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
