It’s not my style to rush things. I know that I am young, that I need to develop slowly and just focus on improving myself each day, so I am patient and I know that if I do all the right things, my chances will come.
"My first thought was… mamma mia! I have scored a goal in a United shirt!"
I couldn’t believe it.
My second thought was for Willy Braciano Ta Bi, my former team-mate who had died a couple of weeks earlier.
He was a good friend of mine, another Ivorian in the youth team at Atalanta, and he had always showed me a specific goal celebration and he said that when he scored his first goal for Atalanta's first team, that was how he was going to celebrate. So, as soon as I scored against Milan, that came into my mind.
Celebrate like Willy Braciano Ta Bi.
So I did his celebration. I wanted to remember him like that. I had to remember my good friend. It was a very emotional moment for me, as well as being a great moment in my career.
"I called my mum after the game and she was in tears, saying that she couldn’t believe it. For me, it was an incredible feeling because getting to play at the highest level only happens once in a lifetime."
“Go on Amad, do what you always do.”So I was really confident when I went on and, when I got that ball, I could only shoot because there was no-one I could have given the ball to and I couldn’t have crossed it. So I just had a shot and I saw it hit the back of the net. It was in front of our fans and it was an unbelievable feeling. That word again, unbelievable! That’s how it felt when the biggest club in England said they wanted to sign me. I am so happy to be here now in Manchester. This is an ambitious club, a club which always wants to be at the very top, a club which is very important for my growth and development. I have only been here a few months but, from what I have seen so far, the impression I have is very positive. The main difference between here and Atalanta is that I would say that training is more physical here. There is more focus on ball control and other things there. I think I am improving more as a footballer compared to Italy. But since I was at Atalanta, I think that I had a good football education because I came through the best youth set-up in Italy. Gasparini was a tough taskmaster so, before coming here, I had already made some progress. There is certainly a big similarity between the two clubs, since they both give a lot of opportunities to young players. When I made my Premier League debut against Leicester, the forward three was me, Mason Greenwood and Anthony Elanga: two 18-year-olds and one 19-year-old! It’s hard to get your head around such a young forward line, but it just goes to show that this club believes in young players. It gives you time to develop and when the club sees you are coming on in training, doing well and following what they tell you to do, you then get given the opportunities you want. I play here like I played in Italy. Obviously, coaches set up teams in different ways but playing wide-right here, having freedom, having to attack and defend. In Italy it is a case of go and attack but then defend and it is the same here. I see myself more as a wide-right player, but I have always said that, in football, you should never have a preferred position. Okay, perhaps you have a preference, but you should be ready for anything. I have played wide left, wide right, and I have played through the middle, so all of the positions are the same to me. If the coach tells me to play in a specific position, there will be a reason for that. I will not argue, I will just play in that position. If I really have to say a favourite position, I would say wide-right, because, from there, I can dribble and carry the ball deep into the opposition’s half. So I guess it is the position I like best, but I have to be ready for everything.
"I can tell anyone that I am a product of the best youth set-up in Italy. Atalanta is a unique club, it is set up to work hard, to take you seriously, and today I am happy to be able to say that I have been part of a club like Atalanta."
“Go on Amad, go on Amad.”And this makes me want to train even harder. They help me a lot, they speak to me, they tell me when I make a mistake, they tell me when I am doing well and that is important, especially for a player like me since I am young. They help me a lot, they have helped me a lot so far. I’ve had a few opportunities in the first few months of 2021. I scored against AC Milan, assisted Mason against Leicester, so there have been some really nice moments on the field, but one other thing that sticks with me is when I was on the bench against Fulham – the first game at Old Trafford with supporters since I arrived. Even when I was on the bench, I was watching the game but also the fans and I could hear them singing… it was amazing. Then I thought to myself: what will it be like with a full crowd? It will be incredible, so emotional, all of the fans shouting your name, like I heard them chanting Bruno’s name. Imagine when the entire crowd is singing your name. It will be amazing to have all the fans back in the stadium. But I must say that I am not in a hurry. I am still very young, the only thing I need to focus on is getting better day after day, develop and learn from the players who are already experienced in this league, like Pogba and Rashford, who already have experience in this type of football. A lot has happened already. As well as joining United this year, I have also had my first call-up for my national team, which was a dream.
"Then I thought to myself: what will it be like with a full crowd? It will be incredible, so emotional, all of the fans shouting your name, like I heard them chanting Bruno’s name. Imagine when the entire crowd is singing your name."