Erik ten Hag has not been afraid of affording a host of Manchester United’s young players a chance in the Red Devils first-term and has been left impressed with one in particular

Erik ten Hag has given his verdict on Man United’s new Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has hailed Amad Diallo for his “weapons” after comparisons were made with Red Devils icon Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Ivorian wide man is now back at Old Trafford after an exciting loan spell with Sunderland last season. The former Atalanta starlet shone with the Black Cats but a knee injury curtailed his contributions throughout the opening half of this campaign.

Amad has returned to first-team contention over recent weeks. He made his first appearance of the season in the Red Devils’ 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest earlier this month.

Despite that reverse, Ten Hag was left impressed with the youngster’s performance. Asked about what he brings to the squad, the Dutchman replied: “Yeah, he is very ball secure.

“He can bring a key actions, final passes, score a goal. And so I think he has some weapons. That is always what you are looking for with offensive players.”

Amad has actually been linked with a move away from Old Trafford this month in another potential loan switch. Championship leaders Leicester, as well as Birmingham have both been tipped to try and sign him until the end of the season.

He has confirmed that playing time with his parent club is among his priorities. Amad said: “It was very good for me [at Sunderland] because I learned a lot of things on and off the pitch

Amad Diallo has made just one appearance for Man United this season ( Image: Getty Images)

“Now I’ve got confidence and more experience to play every three days, which is important for me because in the Premier League that’s what it’s like. It was a very good experience for me.

“It was my first time playing a lot of games every three days. It was hard but I want to play more football, to come back [to United] and play. The fans were good with me, they loved me a lot and when I was on the pitch I did my best to repay their confidence.”

Whatever decision is made on Amad’s immediate future over the next few weeks, some are expecting big things of the youngster. Red Devils icon Rio Ferdinand has already touted him to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford.

Speaking after he was signed back in January 2021, the former defender said: “We’ve just bought a kid in from Atalanta and hopefully he does something. If you see his clips and speak to people at the club who are involved in buying him, potentially this kid could be a world-beater.

“That is the thought of Manchester United people that this kid is one they have unearthed. I don’t want to put the pressure of Cristiano Ronaldo on him, but no-one knew about Ronaldo when we bought him other than the people in Portugal.

“This kid seems similar in that sense and if you see his clips and the way people talk about him, the world is his oyster if he applies himself right.”