Amad could have a new role at Manchester United after Sunderland loan spell

Manchester United have had to wait a long time to see the potential they saw in Amad three years ago show itself on a consistent basis, but his spell in the Championship with Sunderland could be defining for his Old Trafford career.

The teenager cost United an initial €21m despite playing just 76 minutes of senior football for Atalanta. There is a further €20m due in add-ons. For a long time that deal has looked foolhardy and the numbers involved perplexed agents and insiders after it was agreed in the summer of 2020.

Amad made the move to Old Trafford in the following January, scored against AC Milan at Old Trafford, but couldn't force his way into the first-team picture. A loan spell at Rangers was underwhelming and suggested he didn't have the physicality for British football.

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But those fears are being allayed at Sunderland this season, where he is benefitting from working with Tony Mowbray, a manager whose reputation means he is trusted with the most talented prospects at the Premier League's biggest clubs.

Amad, who turns 21 in July, has played 2,183 minutes for the Black Cats and until recently started 19 out of 20 league games, coming off the bench in the other. The doubts about his physical capabilities have diminished thanks to a year in the second tier.

This season has also been the time when Amad has shown the skills that marked him as out as one of Europe's most exciting prospects at the end of the 2010s. The price United paid was high, but there was interest in him from across the continent. Manchester City coaches were hugely impressed with his performance against them in a UEFA Youth League.

That came on the wing and the