Amad Diallo: Man United ace pays Wayne Rooney the ultimate tribute | OneFootball

Amad Diallo has named Wayne Rooney as his favourite Manchester United player, despite seeing Cristiano Ronaldo up close during their time together at the club. The Ivorian arrived at Old Trafford from Atalanta in January 2021, after a deal had been agreed the previous summer.

Amad spent a year with the Premier League giants, featuring mostly for the youth side, before leaving on loan to Rangers in January 2022. Six months later, he joined Sunderland on a season-long loan and was outstanding in the Championship.

That opened up the door to the first-team squad at the Theatre of Dreams, although the Ivorian continued to struggle for game time under former manager Erik ten Hag. The arrival of Ruben Amorim and his 3-4-3 system gave Amad the break he needed, and the player has not looked back since.

The 23 year old has retained his importance under Michael Carrick, who took charge as caretaker manager in January following Amorim’s abrupt departure.

Indispensable for United

Carrick has overseen an impressive run of four wins and a draw in his first five games in charge, helping United sit fourth in the Premier League table after 26 games. The Red Devils have scored 11 goals under the English manager, conceding just five and registering two clean sheets.

While Amad has started every game under Carrick so far, he has failed to contribute a goal or an assist. However, the Ivorian’s trickery has caused a lot of problems for the opposition in the final third, and his work ethic has also been indispensable for United.

Amad previously operated as a right wing-back under Amorim, while featuring in attack on a couple of occasions. Carrick’s arrival has seen the English giants revert to the 4-2-3-1 system, and the Ivorian has been used exclusively as a forward so far.

Amad Diallo Stats: 2025/26 Season

Source: Transfermarkt.

Speaking in March last year, Rooney was full of praise for Amad and revealed that he tried to sign the player on loan while he was in charge of Derby County. The Ivorian has now opened up about his admiration for United’s record goalscorer.

Amad’s two idols

Speaking on the Inside Carrington podcast, Amad hailed Lionel Messi and Rooney as his two inspirations. He said: “In my life, my idol was Messi, I always say Messi. Messi is the player I try to learn from. At United, the player I really like was Rooney. When they ask me which player would you love to play with from United history, I say Rooney because he is the player I really, really love.”

Rooney joined United in the summer of 2004 from Everton and went on to spend 13 seasons at the Theatre of Dreams, winning the Premier League on five occasions and also lifting the Champions League once, among other silverware. He scored a club-record 253 goals and also registered 142 assists from 559 games for the Red Devils.

Meanwhile, speaking recently, Amad also revealed that the United players loved the “Country Roads” Anthem that is being played before kick-off at Old Trafford.

Final Thoughts

Amad fits the profile of fast, skilful wingers who have the ability to keep fans on the edge of their seats. However, he must improve his goalscoring record if he wishes to retain his position in United’s starting XI.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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