(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Three moments vs PAOK told Ruben Amorim reality about Amad amid Man United contract decision
by Isaac Johnson · Manchester Evening News"Why not stay here all my life?" is what Amad asked a reporter when questioned about his future at Manchester United this summer.
The attacker was limited to just 12 games last season due to a knee injury that wiped out the first half of the campaign as Erik ten Hag persisted with Antony. He eventually earned enough credit to start the final three games of the Premier League season.
Amad passed Antony on the bench upon coming off following his winning brace against PAOK on Thursday. He has also passed his colleague in the pecking order.
His Europa League double was the first time he had hit the net since scoring during the 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in August. His only other goal contribution so far this season was an assist during an epic display against Southampton in September.
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A few days later, the Manchester Evening News revealed the club were lining up a new contract for Amad before the year was out. It is unclear whether those plans are still in the pipeline amid the arrival of Ruben Amorim but the 22-year-old made a case for them to stay.
Both of his goals, but particularly the second, showed what quality the Ivorian has in his locker when on song. He has been critiqued for getting lost in the later stages of a game after starting but he flipped that on its head on Thursday.
While Amad remained positive throughout the first half - and should have been awarded a penalty - there was one moment that showed there is still room for growth. With United pressing for the opener after an uninspiring 45 minutes, Bruno Fernandes laid the ball back for Amad to shoot.
The youngster decided to perform a dummy but without a teammate behind. The ball was lost, the attack stunted and the half-time whistle blown.
The mood was starkly different at full-time, when he was seen clapping hands with former teammate Shola Shoretire. The United academy graduate secured a move to PAOK this summer after struggling to stay in the senior team.
The Greeks put in a valiant display on Thursday but they are not the club that many who tracked Shoretire's youth progress envisaged as his next stop after United. There were worries Amad might have followed a similar path a few years ago.
(Image: PA Wire)
Struggling to find his feet in the first team, he was loaned out to Europa League finalists Rangers for the second half of the 2021/22 campaign. He was left frustrated for the majority of his time under Giovanni van Bronckhorst but picked up form toward the end of his stay.
Then followed the exciting loan spell at Sunderland, where he netted 14 goals as the Black Cats made the Championship play-offs. He was in such scintillating form that then-manager Tony Mowbray begged United not to recall him that January.
He stayed in house last season, although it would be harsh to say that was purely because of his injury given his promising form in pre-season. It was an injury scare that prompted Amad’s exit from this week’s game when on a hat-trick.
The forward has a decent injury record on the whole but his serious knee problem of last year must be minded. Amad has now played 36 senior matches for United but has completed a full 90 minutes just twice.
The fact he walked around the Old Trafford turf bare-footed after the final whistle indicates whatever issue forced him off against PAOK is not overly serious, although the medical team will see the state of play once the adrenaline has died down.
He would have been rightly on a high after his performance, with his second strike perhaps his best yet for United. That is the moment that should excite Amorim the most and keep contract talks in his in-tray.