Man United fans insist star was ‘fuming’ with Erik ten Hag over surprising decision

Manchester United supporters are under the impression that Amad Diallo was left feeling frustrated after Noussair Mazraoui and Antony were preferred ahead of him by Erik ten Hag against Fenerbahce.

The Red Devils battled to a 1-1 draw against Jose Mourinho's team in their Europa League encounter in Turkey on Thursday (October 24). The result means that Erik ten Hag's squad have not managed to secure a victory in any of their initial three matches in the competition.

Ten Hag made an unexpected decision at the start of the game, assigning full-back Mazraoui to the number 10 role. He justified this by stating that fielding four attackers for an away game in Europe would be excessive.

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This surprising experiment concluded in the 55th minute when the former Ajax and Bayern Munich full-back – who Ten Hag had previously tested in that role during their time together in Amsterdam – was repositioned to left back as the Dutchman made his first round of substitutions.

With the score still even after 73 minutes, Ten Hag decided to bring on attacking support in the form of Antony – who has yet to make a significant impact in a United jersey – to replace Marcus Rashford, while leaving Amad on the bench. However, the Brazilian's time on the pitch was cut short to just 16 minutes due to an injury that required him to be stretchered off.

Despite the fact that the winger has so far failed to impress since his arrival in Manchester, his inclusion in the match out in Turkey was merited by strong performances in training, according to Ten Hag. It was Amad who stepped in to replace his injured team-mate in the 89th minute, marking his first match involvement since United's 3-3 draw with Porto earlier in the month.

The Ivorian's lack of enthusiasm was evident when he was subbed on, sparking debate among supporters who felt he was disgruntled with the scant playing time and being snubbed in favour of team-mates Mazraoui and Antony, reports the Mirror.

Ten Hag justified his choice to bring on Antony instead of Amad in his post-match comments: "For Amad, he is doing well but we have to reward the performances of Antony in training. He is a threat almost every training so I felt in that moment to bring him, to decide the game.

"But Amad you saw he had one or two actions, very pleased with all the effort and most of the players the quality. I think away from home in Europe in a hectic ambience, to start with four attackers is too much. So I know Nous is very capable to play in that position."

Amad's dour expression while preparing to enter the pitch didn't go unnoticed by United supporters online, with one fan posting: "He is fuming", and another commenting: "Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rene Hake and Andreas Georgson all tried to cheer Amad on as he came on, but he wasn't having any of it."

Post-game, Ten Hag spoke about Antony's injury, expressing optimism that it might not be as grave as initially thought. "It's really unlucky for him, I feel real compassion for him, when he worked so hard in training," the manager added.

"His training performances are that good that he deserved to come on. When you have to come off so quickly, that is really sad to see. Hopefully, it's not too bad, we have to wait 24 hours for what the assessment is." Antony is subsequently not expected to be included in the squad that will journey to east London on Sunday (October 27) to face West Ham in the Premier League.

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This could potentially lead to more playing time for Amad, particularly after his impressive performance during his brief stint on the pitch in Turkey, where he used his skill and speed to win a free-kick just outside the box, although United were unable to capitalise on the late opportunity.

The limited involvement of Amad has left many United supporters puzzled, especially considering his strong pre-season performances and the struggles of Ten Hag's forwards to score goals this season.

The 22-year-old's stern expression while waiting to come on against Fenerbahce suggests that he too may be struggling to comprehend the manager's decision-making.