To say Ruben Amorim has endured a turbulent start to his Manchester United tenure is an understatement.
Now, the head coach is preparing for the two most pivotal fixtures thus far: the Europa League semi-final against Athletic Bilbao.
The first leg takes place next Thursday, May 1, in Spain followed by the reverse clash at Old Trafford exactly one week later – and Amorim has been granted a substantial boost in the lead-up to the tie.
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Amad Diallo will return to training with the squad as early as next week, despite it initially being feared that his season was over after he sustained an injury setback in February.
Amad has spent the last few weeks building up his fitness with some solo rehabilitation work at Carrington but will soon join his teammates for the final steps of his recovery before a hugely anticipated return to the fold.
Amad has been sorely missed over the last two months
Of course, the first leg of the UEL contest will likely come too soon for the Ivorian livewire to play, although there may be an outside chance he can feature in some form when the La Liga outfit travel to Manchester.
His inclusion in the team would give the United faithful significantly more hope of progressing past the semis and reigning victorious in the competition. Barring Bruno Fernandes, Amad has undoubtedly been the team’s most influential figure when fit, even amidst a period when he was (bizarrely) not starting under Erik ten Hag.
Amorim quickly granted the youngster the starting role he deserved and saw his trust instantaneously rewarded by Amad scoring six goals and assisting another six in the 20 appearances he made after Amorim’s appointment.
Some of his contributions have proven game-defining, such as his 90th-minute winner at the Etihad, late hat-trick to avoid an embarrassment against Southampton at home, and a late leveller at Anfield back in January.
Had he not suffered the unfortunate and untimely setback, you’d imagine he’d have been well in contention to be named United’s Player of the Season.
To say Ruben Amorim has endured a turbulent start to his Manchester United tenure is an understatement.
Now, the head coach is preparing for the two most pivotal fixtures thus far: the Europa League semi-final against Athletic Bilbao.
The first leg takes place next Thursday, May 1, in Spain followed by the reverse clash at Old Trafford exactly one week later – and Amorim has been granted a substantial boost in the lead-up to the tie.
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Amad Diallo will return to training with the squad as early as next week, despite it initially being feared that his season was over after he sustained an injury setback in February.
Amad has spent the last few weeks building up his fitness with some solo rehabilitation work at Carrington but will soon join his teammates for the final steps of his recovery before a hugely anticipated return to the fold.
Of course, the first leg of the UEL contest will likely come too soon for the Ivorian livewire to play, although there may be an outside chance he can feature in some form when the La Liga outfit travel to Manchester.
His inclusion in the team would give the United faithful significantly more hope of progressing past the semis and reigning victorious in the competition. Barring Bruno Fernandes, Amad has undoubtedly been the team’s most influential figure when fit, even amidst a period when he was (bizarrely) not starting under Erik ten Hag.
Amorim quickly granted the youngster the starting role he deserved and saw his trust instantaneously rewarded by Amad scoring six goals and assisting another six in the 20 appearances he made after Amorim’s appointment.
Some of his contributions have proven game-defining, such as his 90th-minute winner at the Etihad, late hat-trick to avoid an embarrassment against Southampton at home, and a late leveller at Anfield back in January.
Had he not suffered the unfortunate and untimely setback, you’d imagine he’d have been well in contention to be named United’s Player of the Season.
