By Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
Are Manchester United better off with anyone but Amad Diallo? As his output continues to stall, the explosive rise of teenager Shea Lacey finally offers manager Michael Carrick a dynamic, long-overdue alternative on the right flank.
Amad Diallo has three goal contributions across all competitions in exactly a year for Manchester United, including just one Premier League goal.
The Ivorian is yet to register a goal contribution in the league this season, with his only assist in eight games across all competitions coming as a late consolation in a 4-1 Champions League loss to Como.
The 24-year-old looks capable of making things happen whenever he receives the ball on the right flank, but in the end, a lot of things never go his way.
Michael Carrick has placed trust in him since the injury to Benjamin Sesko opened the door to more opportunities, but his shallow return in the last one-year has ultimately cost the club.
Amad is able to play in the same starting XI as Bryan Mbeumo, who is now deployed as a center forward, and with Marcus Rashford sidelined with injury, the former Atalanta man keeps getting the minutes.
However, the emergence of Shea Lacey means Michael Carrick can now afford to leave the unproductive man out of the team without getting the self-sabotage feeling from the fans.
Lacey has been more impactful in Manchester United games this season despite getting fewer minutes. He has a goal to his name, scoring to open the scoring eight minutes into his first-ever senior start in the Carabao Cup loss to Brighton.
His other contribution came as an assist to Matheus Cunha for the winner in a thrilling 3-2 comeback win over AS Roma in the Champions League.
The teenager came off the bench for the final 15 minutes, replacing Amad with United trailing 2-1, and he played a vital role to secure a dramatic comeback win. Surely he is giving Michael Carrick a lot to think about, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him lineup for a Premier League match in the place of Amad.
For the trust placed in him, Amad Diallo has let Man United down since his £40 million move from Atalanta in January 2021.
To get him ready for the challenge ahead, he was sent out on loans for a couple of years at Rangers and Sunderland, before finally making his second debut at the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
Amad Diallo has been with United’s first team since then, making 96 appearances and scoring 15 goals, 11 of which came in the 2024-25 season alone. He was supposed to take up more responsibilities at the club by building on that promising campaign, but has only managed two goals since its conclusion.
Should Michael Carrick remain in charge after the November international break, the stage could be set for a defining tactical crossroads at Old Trafford, where sentiment must finally bow to cold, hard momentum.
As the fixtures pile up and the pressure mounts to salvage their season’s ambitions, sticking with a sputtering asset risks derailing the entire campaign when a more capable alternative is knocking so loudly on the door.
Whether Michael Carrick boldly pulls the trigger and unleashes Shea Lacey from the start remains to be seen, but Amad Diallo has surely not done enough to keep his starting spot, and it is fair enough to suppose United are better off with anyone but him.
