Amad signs off at Sunderland
Amad's superb season at Sunderland came to an end with a 2-0 defeat at Luton Town in the second leg of the Championship play-off semi-final.
The 20-year-old has become a crowd favourite with the Black Cats but the team's leading league scorer was unable to prevent the Hatters from overturning a 2-1 deficit from the Stadium of Light encounter and clinching a 3-2 aggregate success to reach Wembley. Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough or Mark Robins's Coventry City will provide the opposition in the final.
Amad, and his colleagues, struggled to impose their normal game on the physical, combative and aggressive hosts, and he had to endure jeers every time he touched the ball from some of the Kenilworth Road faithful. Nonetheless, he kept probing, moving the ball and looking for openings, even if he was unable to repeat his wonder strike in the first leg.
hi guys, I know you are sad, we all are. a group of young guys who fought until the last minute, I can only be proud to have been part of this team. No regrets just proud of what each of us has become over the course of the season. Thank you for the love. HAWAY THE LADS ❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/m1Qg2wMcEK
— Amad🇨🇮 (@Amaddiallo_19) May 16, 2023
In a post on social media, the Ivory Coast international expressed his pride at how far Tony Mowbray's youthful side has come, after showing his emotions following the final whistle in Bedfordshire.
"I know you are sad," he told the Wearsiders' fans. "We all are. A group of young guys who fought until the last minute. I can only be proud to have been part of this team. No regrets, just proud of what each of us has become over the course of the season.
"Thank you for the love."
After surely one of the best loan moves in United's history, the clever forward topped the scoring charts in the league for Sunderland, with 14 goals, smashing his pre-season target of 10.
It has been enough to secure a place on the shortlist for the PFA Fans' Player of the Year award in the Championship. The others in contention are Middlesbrough marksman Chuba Akpom, Sheffield United's Iliman Ndiaye, Burnley forward Nathan Tella, Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres and Luton Town hit-man Carlton Morris.
You can vote for Amad here by either using the Championship tab or completing the Premier League poll first, with Marcus Rashford our representative there, after his stellar season.
We look forward to seeing what the future has in store for the talented youngster.
Mowbray confirmed in an interview with Sky Sports that Amad will not be returning to the Stadium of Light in 2023/24.
"The frustration is this team is not going to be this team," he said. "There's no Diallo next season, no Joe Gelhardt.
"The players, our players, we've got to make them better, more confident, and add to them; find another player who can do what Diallo has done this season, add goals, craft and quality."