The blue half of Manchester will be welcoming the red half this Sunday as Manchester City take on Manchester United on Sunday. Both clubs are facing their fair share of issues – the Red Devils are settling in under new manager Ruben Amorim and the Citizens are going through their worst run of form since Pep Guardiola joined the club.
Looking at Manchester City’s dominance in this fixture in recent years, it could be the perfect opportunity for them to start a winning run but Manchester United icon Gary Pallister has pointed to a player who could turn the tide in the visitors’ favour.
Amad Diallo is showing why he deserves to wear a Man Utd shirt
Pallister has been impressed by Amad Diallo’s showing and shared his conversation he had with Tony Mowbray about him. Mowbray managed Diallo at Sunderland and told Pallister that the Ivorian needed more belief in himself – something that Amorim’s arrival has helped with.
“I think Amad’s started to show that he feels comfortable in a Man Utd shirt. A good friend of mine, Tony Mowbray, I was sitting with him this morning and I spoke quite a lot about Diallo because he managed him at Sunderland, and he thought he was fantastic and incredible. He probably needed a little bit more belief in himself.
“At the start of the season, I could see what Tony kind of meant. He would have moments in games. I was looking at him and being ‘you need to take your man on, you need to be more positive’ and over the last month and six weeks, I think you’ve seen that in Diallo. The way he’s chasing back. He’s only a slight kid but he’s not afraid of putting himself in harm’s way. He fights for the ball, he scraps, he’s got good strength for a slight looking kid and I feel his game now is oozing incredible confidence.”
Pallister continues by saying that Amad is playing with the attitude of ‘owning the shirt he wears’ and this mentality has endeared him to the crowd and made him an important part of the side.
“He looks like a guy who’s not trying to earn the Man Utd shirt, he’s looking like a guy who’s saying ‘yeah this shirt is mine now’. Which is a different kind of mentality I think. He is so important to this team. He’s winning the ball back in high positions, he’s creating, he’s scoring. The crowd can see that the work-rate he puts in is incredible.
“I think he’s a diamond for Ruben Amorim to work with.”
Diallo and his Manchester United team-mates are set to take on Manchester City this weekend, in what promises to be an entertaining clash on Sunday in front of the Sky Sports cameras. The Red Devils are priced at 17/4 on bet365 to come out on top against their local rivals, which could be a tempting price given City’s recent struggles.
Man Utd don’t necessarily need Alphonso Davies but wing-backs are necessary
Pallister also spoke about the Red Devils looking for wing-backs in the January window. The four-time Premier League winner understands the need for wing-backs considering Amorim’s playing style but also thinks that Man Utd shouldn’t necessarily pursue the best players available at that position.
Alphonso Davies is a player that has been linked to Man Utd but Pallister thinks that Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez or Rayan Ait-Nouri of Wolves can be quality additions to the Manchester United squad too.
“Wing backs are so important in that system. They’ve got to have the energy to get up and down the pitch, to help the back, to get forward and help the attackers.
“They (Kerkez and Ait-Nouri) are both young lads and it doesn’t always have to be some big name from Bayern, Madrid or Barcelona. They need players that can fit into the style of play and I’m sure Amorim and the recruitment guys are looking at it because it’s been so wrong for so many years that it’s become laughable in terms of some of the mistakes made in the transfer market and the money that’s been spent.
“United are looking to get value for players but good players. It’s got to improve because it has been laughable.”
Luke Shaw would excel in Amorim’s system but his physical state is a question mark
Speaking on the topic of wing-backs and defenders, Pallister believes that Luke Shaw would be a great fit in Ruben Amorim’s system of a back five. In fact, Pallister thinks that if Shaw is fit, then the club do not need to worry about signing Alphonso Davies.
That being said, Pallister concedes that Shaw’s constant struggles with injuries raise questions about whether Englishman can overcome them.
“He’s 29. He should be in his peak years. 27-30 are your peak years as a footballer. Luke should be there but he’s been blighted by injuries. I think you’re bang right in what you’re saying – he’s a wonderful, wonderful player and I think he would excel in this kind of back five, giving him more license to attack as wing-back.”
“I’m sure Amorim’s looking at exactly the same sort. Luke Shaw had that bad injury years ago. You don’t know whether that’s still playing a part in the injuries he gets now because it was a really bad break. It’s not just the injury that was a problem, it’s how the rest of your body deals with it and the problems you get in other shapes and forms from that. So I don’t know what the injuries at the moment are with Luke but in terms of ability, if you can get him on the pitch regularly, I wouldn’t be worried about Alphonso Davies because Luke Shaw for me is one of the best attacking full-backs in the world.”
“It’s a dilemma. I’ve been in that situation Luke’s been in when I was 30 and I started having problems with my back. I missed a large part of the 1995-96 season. It creates demons in your own mind, when you’re going to break down again? Fortunately I managed to play for another three years.”
“I feel for Luke in that situation. It doesn’t solve the problem for the manager. Malacia has gotten himself fit after a long term injury. He’s getting minutes at the moment. Whether Amorim sees him as a possible replacement, I don’t know.”
“It has become a problem. We had Diallo play on the left, Mazraoui as well. We’ve had to make adjustments when ten Hag was there as well, which is not perfect for the team.”
“In terms of ability, Luke Shaw, if he’s fit and on the pitch, you’ve got one hell of a player.”
There should be no regrets about Jadon Sancho
Earlier this season, Manchester United let Jadon Sancho join Chelsea and the move has worked out well for the English winger. He has five goal involvements in 10 league appearances and his overall play looks better than what it did at Manchester United.
Sancho infamously fell out with former Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag and as per Pallister, there should be no regrets from the club’s side to let go of Sancho. He shares that he remembers watching Sancho at Old Trafford and his performances left him wanting more.
“I was one of the people really keen to see Jadon Sancho come to Manchester United. I thought what I was seeing, in the Champions League, was a wonderful player, playing with confidence, scoring, assisting, being a real player and he was being headhunted by Man Utd for a couple of seasons. So I was delighted when they got the business done and he came to the club.”
“I go to United every other week, and watch a lot of home games. I gotta say his performances didn’t match up. He got plenty of chances. Whatever the reason, whether that be the personality clash with ten Hag, I do not know, but in terms of what he was producing on the field, I have to agree with the manager on why he left him out.”
“Because I don’t think he was putting in the performances. He goes back to Dortmund, we see the performances again. At Chelsea we see him scoring goals and looking like a different player.”
“Again we’re second guessing what went on there. Was it just purely the relationship that broke down with ten Hag and it was never going to mend. Once you’re in that kind of a situation, it’s hard for the manager to pick you and it’s hard for the player to play at his best. So, I think in the end it was inevitable that he was going to leave.”
