All about Amad as he maintains fine form
Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray has discussed Amad's fine form after the on-loan Manchester United youngster scored again in the 2-1 defeat to West Brom on Monday night.
The winger impressed again, in front of the Sky Sports cameras, and was brought down inside the box to earn a penalty in the first half. A perfectly placed spot-kick followed to chalk up a fifth goal from his last seven outings.
Although the Baggies hit back in the second period, taking the three points with a 2-1 triumph, Amad was a major threat to their defence throughout the 90 minutes and was unlucky not to be awarded another penalty when being bundled over, just seconds before the visitors broke to grab the winner through Daryl Dike.
SUNDERLAND'S MAN OF THE MOMENT 👏
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) December 12, 2022
Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo! 💥 pic.twitter.com/XEmN4LMhLy
Black Cats boss Mowbray told Sky Sports afterwards: "He's a very talented boy and is integrating into the group. His personality was very introverted when he first arrived, he was a really quiet lad who kept himself to himself, but he feels the respect of the rest of the group now, and he's earned that as well with his performance level and work-rate, as well as his talent.
"He'll be disappointed to be on the losing side tonight. He was a threat tonight.
"People in the studio will have an option on whether it was a [second] penalty or not. It doesn't matter what I think."
In a recent press conference, Mowbray was also asked about speculation that Amad could return to United next month.
The Sunderland manager feels it would be more beneficial for the 20-year-old to continue learning his trade with regular first-team football in the Championship.
"We'll have to wait and see what happens," he said. "But we're not sitting here at the moment thinking: 'Oh, Man United are going to take him back in January because he's going to go and make a massive impact for them'.
I think Man United are in an alright place aren't they? They're doing okay. They've got a young Argentinian lad [Alejandro Garnacho] coming through, who has been scoring a few goals for them, and I'm sure they'll be wanting to give him a chance.
“[Christian] Eriksen obviously looks really talented, and their midfield has been shaken up a little bit," added Mowbray. "They started with Fred and [Scott] McTominay, but now you’ve got lots of different options with the likes of Casemiro, Antony and [Bruno] Fernandes as well. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that I’m not sure he’s going to be going back.
"If he was to go back, then I’m not sure he’d be going back to play, and surely at the age the boy is, he needs to play. He’s doing that here, and I think this is a great vehicle for him to be showcasing his talent.
"He’s helping our team to be successful, and he’s showcasing his talent to Man United. I know he’s enjoying it - you can see that by the smile on his face every day now, as opposed to a month ago, when he was quite a shy, introverted individual. Now, his talent is flourishing and he’s enjoying himself, and I’m sure he’s not in any rush to go back.”
Sunderland's next game is on Saturday, away to Hull City (15:00 GMT kick-off).