‘No pressure’ as Rio compares Diallo arrival to legendary Man Utd signing

Amad Diallo

Rio Ferdinand has described the arrival of Amad Diallo at Manchester United as reminiscent of Cristiano Ronaldo’s signing.

Diallo arrived at Old Trafford from Serie A side Atalanta this month, nearly 18 years on from when Ronaldo joined the Red Devils.

And Ronaldo’s former Old Trafford teammate Ferdinand believes that the feeling around the 18-year-old’s arrival has been similar to when the United legend walked through the door.

“We’ve just bought a kid in from Atalanta and hopefully he does something,” Ferdinand said of Diallo on his FIVE podcast (as cited the Independent)

“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 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. If you see his clips and the way people talk about him, the world is his oyster. But he has to apply himself right.”

 

Ronaldo won three Premier League titles and a Champions League at United. He eventually joined Real Madrid in 2009 for a then world record €94million.

Diallo, meanwhile, has joined the Red Devils for a fee worth up to £37m.


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Diallo to be part of dynamic duo

Diallo will cause “nightmares” for opposition defences when playing alongside fellow United forward Mason Greenwood, a scout has said.

United are expecting big things from the winger; manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer described Diallo as “one of the most exciting young prospects in the game“.

In any case, he will soon add another exciting dimension to what has become a fearsome United attack.

In fact, one scout, who the source does not name, told The Athletic how a combination of Diallo and Greenwood will pose problems for United’s opponents.

“A future attack involving Mason Greenwood and Amad Diallo, each equally comfortable using both feet, would be a nightmare for defenders,” the scout said. Read more…