Michael Carrick must unlock Amad for Man United to succeed next year | OneFootball

Manchester United are finalising plans for one of the most important transfer windows in recent history, with a return to the Champions League and a state of flux at the club’s rivals affording INEOS the chance to make a statement this summer.

A complete revamp in midfield is the most pressing priority. Casemiro‘s time at Old Trafford is drawing to a triumphant end, while Manuel Ugarte faces the axe after failing his audition to succeed the Brazilian behemoth.

But United are also searching for reinforcements on the left-hand side of the pitch, with high-profile wingers and full-backs both in the crosshairs. RB Leipzig sensation Yan Diomande and Aston Villa magician Morgan Rogers are the leading contenders out wide; a pair of English left-backs, Lewis Hall and Myles Lews-Skelly, are the prime targets to take the reins from long-term stalwart, Luke Shaw, in defence.

A new goalkeeper to back up Senne Lammens and a more experienced striker to replace Joshua Zirkzee are also on the agenda, with one well-placed source predicting the total spend is a “near certainty” to surpass last summer’s £240 million outlay. However, there is a growing sense that the focus on external targets is leading to an important omission in the other crucial way to improve performances on the pitch: harnessing more from the existing members of Michael Carrick’s squad.

And in the case of Amad, United’s 23-year-old wing wizard, this is a mistake, because he has a unique skillset no other player at the Theatre of Dreams can match — but only if Carrick helps the Ivory Coast international recapture the scintillating performances he was producing under the previous incumbent in the dugout, Ruben Amorim.

The Case for Amad

Outside of Bruno Fernandes, Amad is arguably United’s most technically gifted player, possessing a potent pairing of dizzying dribbling and beautiful ball control. At his best, the Abidjan native can leave any full-back for dead, twisting them inside and out before bursting past them with fleet-footed acceleration.

In the increasingly fast-paced and transitional style of Premier League football, where man-to-man marking schemes dominate, a player who can take on their opposite number consistently is a devastating weapon.

There is a reason why Pep Guardiola has persisted with Jeremy Doku, despite the teething issues the Belgian trickster has experienced since arriving at the Etihad from Rennes for £55.5m in 2023. At his best, no defender can live with his combination of speed and skill, even if the 23-year-old struggles with the consistency to apply his talents across a full ninety minutes.

Amad offers a broadly similar skillset, but also the same issues in terms of application. Under Carrick, he is yet to find his feet, looking bereft of the confidence he demonstrated earlier in the campaign under Amorim.

The Portuguese tactician’s much-maligned 3-4-2-1 system saw him deploy Amad as a right wing-back; a decision which drew criticism initially, even if it proved to be effective over the course of his tumultuous 14-month tenure.

Amad was one of the standout performers under Amorim, scoring nine goals and providing seven assists across 34 Premier League appearances, despite being stationed deeper on the pitch. Virtually every one, albeit from a small list, of United’s best games under Amorim came courtesy of an impressive showing from the former Atalanta star, who joined the Red Devils for £37m in 2021.

If the Red Devils are to progress next year with Carrick at the wheel, the 44-year-old coach will need to get Amad spinning defenders again; even if that means sacrificing, or repositioning, one of the team’s most expensive stars — Bryan Mbeumo.

Amad vs Bryan out wide

Signed from Brentford for £71m last summer after the best goal-scoring campaign of his career, Mbeumo is perhaps an odd choice to be consigned to the bench. But the 26-year-old Cameroonian is closer to an inside forward than an ‘old school’ winger who hugs the touchline.

In Amorim’s system, Mbeumo played as a right-sided No.10, with Amad overlapping on the outside from wing-back, and the pair formed a potent partnership that left many defences destabilised — just ask Andy Robertson and Virgil van Dijk.

However, Carrick’s 4-2-3-1 set-up pits the two against each other for one slot on the right wing. Neither have seized the opportunity to stake a firm claim to start, though Mbeumo’s goal threat has seen him get the nod more often than Amad.

This must change in Carrick’s first season as permanent head coach, because the team will be far more balanced with a technically gifted dribbler on the right than a forward who does his best work cutting in towards goal.

Without space to run into, Mbeumo can appear distinctly average — as he has many times since the turn of the new year. When the opposition condense the pitch and play becomes congested, there is no question in this writer’s mind who is more effective between the Cameroonian and the Ivorian.

And looking at where United have struggled this season in terms of dropped points, it is the low blocks of Everton and West Ham that have caused far more consternation than the high press of Liverpool and Manchester City. This does not mean Amad and Mbeumo cannot play together, however, as the resounding 3-0 victory in the season closer against Brighton & Hove Albion demonstrated, with the latter playing as a false nine in Benjamin Sesko’s absence.

But it did prove how much more well-rounded the attack looked with a natural winger out on the right — an effect Carrick must take note of next season, given the manner in which United’s transfer plans are set to play out.

Final Thoughts: The Importance of Width

Despite a left-winger appearing the bigger priority this summer, a new left-back to compete with Shaw is understood to be considered a more important recruit internally at Old Trafford. This will leave Cunha and Dorgu to compete for the starting berth, with the Brazilian the preferred option under Carrick.

But Cunha, a powerful right-footed ball carrier, will always look to invert when stationed on the left, preferring to cut inside on his stronger side and drive at the heart of a defence. If this is complemented by a high-energy full-back, capable of providing a constant overlap on the outside, it is a well-balanced combination.

However, if the right winger is also looking to come centrally, as Mbeumo likes, the defence would be left destabilised by the right-back also needing to push high and wide to maintain the team’s width on that flank.

Amad prefers to hug the touchline, capable of providing a threat on his own with space to exploit, while retaining the ability to also play in tight spaces if double marked. With Cunha and a flying full-back combining on the left, the Ivorian’s independence would allow the right-back, be it Noussair Mazraoui or Diogo Dalot, to form a back three alongside the two centre-backs, or even to step into central midfield — mirroring the tactics Carrick employed at Middlesbrough.

With the increased workload next season of a return to Europe and (hopefully) deeper runs in the domestic cups, minutes for Mbeumo will not be an issue, especially if the former Brentford star continues to be deployed through the middle. This would also help ease the burden on Sesko and reduce the need for an expensive replacement for Zirkzee to arrive.

Put simply, Amad is just the right man for the right wing.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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