Erik ten Hag has indicated Amad could make his first meaningful Premier League start for Manchester United against Sheffield United.
The 21-year-old has not started for United since December 2021 and he has made six appearances off the bench this season, scoring the winning goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Amad joined United from Atalanta in October 2020 and only three of his 15 appearances for the club have been as a starter. The winger’s only two starts in the Premier League were in heavily-rotated teams against Leicester and Wolves in May 2021 as then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer prioritised the league visit of Liverpool and the Europa League final.
The Ivory Coast international sustained a knee injury in the pre-season victory over Arsenal in July and did not return until late December.
“Amad deserves it (to start matches), but don’t forget he had a long period in the season injured,” Ten Hag said. “So we rebuilt him and now he has had some opportunities and a real contribution.
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“He played in a position that is not his best position. He started as a striker and then he had to play in the midfield, so he did well. We have a number of players in that area, there is big competition.
“He already deserved more game minutes, I would say, but I have to choose there. We have (Alejandro) Garnacho, Antony, and we have Omari Forson. We have a number of players in that position and we have to make choices there.
“But I am very happy with his performances and his progress, I see his qualities and his assets can really contribute to our game.”
Ten Hag could be without 12 first-team players if Scott McTominay and Marcus Rashford fail to recover after they were injured in the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City.
Defenders Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof, Lisandro Martinez, Jonny Evans, Willy Kambwala, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, midfielders Sofyan Amrabat and Mason Mount and striker Anthony Martial all missed the Coventry game.
“And still we perform,” Ten Hag stressed. “Tomorrow we will be creative and we will put a team out that is capable of winning the match, even if we have to be really creative. We have to put players in other positions.
“I only see our [injury] problems across the season and that is what I have analysed. I am sure we are building, and I know the depth of the squad from the start of the season, we have to improve, and the depth hasn’t always been.
“That was the case when I started here and we started to reconstruct and build in key positions where we wanted to have an upgrade. Now we have to build further on, also in the depth of the squad.”
“So far as a manager, I have never had this (injury crisis) before. It is so many injuries across the season. That is only what I can say from my experience.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
