Manchester United's player of the year started 2024 with a price on his head - now he's invaluable

Is it possible to declare someone who has started less than a third of Manchester United's games in the calendar year their best player of 2024? It sounds extreme, but this might be where we are with Amad.

The 22-year-old started the year on the fringes. For the first four months of the year, he looked more likely to be sold than to emerge as one of the best players in the team. He has still only started 16 games this year, but his record is beginning to speak for itself and he is easily United's most dangerous and most consistent attacker.

The surprise is that it took him so long to earn his chance. It doesn't reflect well on Erik ten Hag, given Amad's impact on the side was immediate when he was finally promoted to the starting XI against Arsenal in May. That was his first start for the club in 887 days.

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He came off the bench in the final game of 2023 after recovering from an injury sustained in pre-season but didn't feature again until February 24. There were eight substitute appearances, including his match-winning FA Cup epic against Liverpool, before he finally got the nod in Ten Hag's team.

There have been five goals and seven assists in total, and he has shown his versatility by effortlessly switching to right wing-back under Ruben Amorim. He has been the best player of the Amorim era so far, and it is expected he will soon be fielded as one of the creative No. 10s, as well as remaining an option as an aggressive, attacking wing-back.

"I think that’s one of the great advantages of Amad," Amorim said of his versatility at the