Amad is about to be handed lifeline to save his Manchester United career

The 2023/24 season was meant to be Amad's breakout year at Manchester United.

Last year, the winger came into his own under the tutelage of Tony Mowbray at Sunderland and some sections of the fanbase were even calling for him to be recalled. Alas, the decision was made to allow him to stick out the campaign with the Black Cats but it was fair to say his stock had risen.

Chances were also coming his way and he featured prominently against Leeds United and Lyon in pre-season before the tour headed Stateside. However, the unfortunate knee injury picked up in pre-season vs Arsenal stalled any hopes of the Ivorian pushing on this campaign.

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Thankfully, Amad is now on the mend and is taking a proactive role in training sessions. But even with an increased schedule over the festive period, the 21-year-old is by no means guaranteed to get minutes before he jets off to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), as is expected.

Fortunately for the forward, the prestigious tournament has come just at the right time for him. Should Amad get a prolonged run in the tournament and be a star player for the host nation, Erik ten Hag may struggle to overlook him.

The Manchester Evening News understands that had Amad not got injured during pre-season, there was every chance he may have been sent out on loan once again - or possibly even sold completely.

At present, there is no doubting how difficult the goalscoring situation has become. Barring a couple of goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford, the forward line is failing to offer a constant source of goals for United.

Especially in the Premier League, this United team is not in