Amad provides United's creative spark

His hand in the second goal, teeing up Marcus Rashford for his expertly-placed effort from outside the box, will be a welcome boost to the Ivorian's headline stats, but his underlying data backs up how vital he has been to the Reds going forward so far this season.

The winger has waited patiently for his time in the United spotlight since joining from Atalanta in January 2021, but his perseverance is paying dividends this season, earning three Premier League starts in Erik ten Hag's side this term.

Having notched a goal and an assist already at this stage, along with registering elite creative statistics, it's clear Amad is not taking his opportunties lightly.

According to Opta, the 22-year-old created six chances in Saturday's game against Southampton, making him the youngest United player to achieve that feat since Anthony Martial against Stoke City in February 2016.

That was the most chances created by any player in the clash at St Mary's and the most Amad has recorded for the Reds in a single game across all competitions, so it feels just that he recorded the assist for Rashford's goal.

Those numbers are impressive in isolation for a forward, but he proved just as effective through his work off the ball, too.

Amad registered the most tackles in the game (three) and won over half of his ground duels, assistance that will likely have been appreciated by Noussair Mazraoui in the right-back role behind him.

Amad will be only too aware of how fierce competition is for starting places out wide at United, with himself, Rashford and substitute Alejandro Garnacho all involved in our three goals and the likes of Antony waiting in the wings.

Domestic cup competitions and European football now come into play following the international break. Starting on Tuesday (17 September), the Reds face Barnsley, Crystal Palace and FC Twente in the space of a week, in the Carabao Cup, Premier League and Europa League respectively.

Ten Hag will need to call on the depth of his squad for this hectic period, so having his trio of widemen all making strong cases for starts will provide a significant boost.

Based on these numbers, the manager can rest assured that Amad will any grasp any chance he gets with both hands.