Ruben Amorim handed major Manchester United boost with Sunderland reunion imminent

Under-fire head coach Ruben Amorim is set to welcome Amad Diallo back into his matchday squad after a brief absence.

Manchester United confirmed on Wednesday that Amad had returned to first team training along with Tyrell Malacia.

Amad missed United’s loss against Brentford because of a bereavement in his family but has started five matches this season as Amorim works to improve on the Red Devils’ disappointing 2024-25 campaign.

Amad returns to Man United training

“Somone in his family passed away so we are giving all the support to Amad,” Amorim told the club media team before the Brentford match.

“We understood it was important to him to have his time. We are here for him.”

It’s understood that Amad remained with his family in England rather than returning to Ivory Coast, and that he was fully involved in training with the first team on Wednesday.

United’s next fixture is in the Premier League against Sunderland, where Amad spent the 2022-23 season on loan in the Championship and supercharged his rise to prominence with 14 goals in all competitions.

The former Atalanta youth player returned to Old Trafford but has suffered a couple of lengthy injury absences in the last two seasons under Erik ten Hag and Amorim.

When he’s been available, the 23-year-old has been among the more reliable and exciting players at United’s disposal and is likely to feature against his former loan club on Saturday.

Amad has started four of United’s six Premier League fixtures so far this season despite renewed competition for places.

Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo both joined United in the summer to play off Benjamin Sesko in Amorim’s infamously consistent system but Amad has played in that two ahead of Cunha and has the advantage of also being able to play on the right of a four-man midfield.

Amorim will be keen to keep the Ivorian in his line-up. Amad is yet to get off the mark this term but scored eight Premier League goals in 20 starts in 2024-25, offering an occasional ray of sunshine in a largely gloomy season.

He joined United from Atalanta in 2021 having played just five first-team matches for the Bergamo club.

Before catching the eye at Sunderland in the Championship, he scored three goals in 10 league matches on loan at Rangers in the second half of 2021-22.

Amad, who is a full Ivory Coast international and was ranked at no.25 in FourFourTwo's list of the best Premier League players of the season, could play against Sunderland for the first time on Saturday when Premier League action returns.