Crerand's advice to Amad ahead of Old Firm derby

Every Old Firm derby is of great significance to each club’s supporters, but with the teams embroiled in the Scottish Premiership title race, the importance of this game only intensifies. Rangers currently lead Celtic by two points.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst immediately handed Amad a spot in the starting line-up at the weekend and that faith was repaid as our Ivorian winger found the back of the net fewer than five minutes into his Rangers debut. However, a late equaliser for Ross County saw Rangers draw 3-3, dropping points and allowing Celtic to narrow the gap to the top.

Our 1968 European Cup-winning midfielder Paddy Crerand played for Celtic for five years prior to coming to Old Trafford, and he’s got a bit of advice for Amad going into his first Old Firm derby.

“It’s a great opportunity for him, this,” Crerand says.

“The pressure of a Celtic v Rangers match is incredible. There is nothing like it anywhere.

“You don’t know what it means unless you’re living in Glasgow. It’s bigger than Man City v Man United and maybe even Liverpool and Manchester United.

“The hatred between the fans isn’t nice. It’s got a nastiness to it sometimes, but as a player, it’s great to play in those games. The atmosphere in the stadium is just fantastic.

“If the ground could fit 100,000 people, 100,000 would be there. The clamour for tickets is incredible.

“I watched Amad’s first game at the weekend as it was on television and he certainly started off well. He’ll soon understand what this game means to the people of Glasgow and being part of that experience will be a great lesson.

“The whole move should be a good one for him as he’ll experience the pressure of a title race.”

United fans who want to keep up with Amad’s progress can, of course, keep a close eye on ManUtd.com and our App over the following days. UK-based supporters can also watch Celtic v Rangers live on Sky Sports. Kick-off is at 19:45 GMT. Good luck, Amad!