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3 months ago
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Manchester United have reportedly earmarked one of their players for a new role from the start of next season.
It has been a month of uncertainty at Old Trafford ever since United won the FA Cup, with significant speculation over the future of Erik ten Hag as manager.
However, United's new part-owners Ineos, who are in charge of football operations at the club, ultimately decided to stick with the Dutchman, but they will want an improvement on a disappointing eighth place finish in the Premier League.
And, according to Manchester Evening News, one change ahead of the the 2024-25 campaign is that winger Amad Diallo is now viewed as a key player by Ten Hag and the club.
The 21-year-old has had an up-and-down journey since joining United from Atalanta in October 2020 aged 18 for a fee rising to £37million.
Man United have reportedly earmarked one of their players for a new role from next season
According to reports, Amad Diallo is now viewed as a key man by Erik ten Hag and the club
Diallo started just three games across his first three seasons at the club, while he also spent time on loan at Rangers and Sunderland.
He shone at the Stadium of Light, scoring 14 goals in 42 matches but his progress was hampered upon his return last summer when he sustained a knee injury in pre-season which kept him out for five months.
After Diallo returned to fitness he was named in 22 out of 22 matchday squads, although he played just 46 minutes in the league between December and April.
However, the Ivorian gained cult status for scoring a 121st-minute winner in United's dramatic 4-3 victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-final in March, before he started the final three Premier League games of the season and scored against Newcastle.
The report goes onto explain how Ten Hag had generally picked Antony and Omari Forson ahead of Diallo until the latter stages of the campaign, while the 21-year-old was also regularly competing with Facundo Pellistri for gametime before the Uruguayan moved to Granada on loan in January.
After previously preferring the likes of Antony, Ten Hag is ready to give Diallo a bigger role
Diallo impressed with his end of season form after missing five months due to a knee injury
However, Antony endured a dismal campaign while Forson has now joined Italian side Monza after rejecting a new deal at Old Trafford.
It is claimed that these factors, coupled with Diallo's impressive end of season form, mean the winger is now viewed as an integral player for the future.
The 21-year-old is said to even now be viewed in the same bracket as the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund as youngsters who can spearhead United's next great side under Ten Hag.
The Red Devils are set to return to competitive action on August 10 when they face Man City in the Community Shield, before Ten Hag's side begin the Premier League campaign with a home game against Fulham on Friday August 16.
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