Sunderland boss urges on-loan Man Utd man to 'learn' quickly if he's to fulfil potential

Is Amad Diallo guilty of only wanting to score 'perfect' goals?

Tony Mowbray has urged on-loan Manchester United man Amad Diallo to ‘learn’ to shoot more rather than always pursuing the perfect goal.

Amad made his first start for Sunderland in their 0-0 draw against Blackpool at the Stadium of Light, although he made all the wrong headlines by squandering a big chance in the first half.

The Ivorian was played through on goal and failed to even get a shot away as he looked to cut inside instead, much to the frustration of the crowd.

Amad’s talent is obvious when he is on the ball, and at times it is not difficult to see why Man Utd paid £19m (potentially rising to £37m) for him in 2021. However, his final product is clearly lacking, and Mowbray says he needs to understand that being a top player is all about substance, not style.

"We need him to shoot more - that's what I tell him every single day,” Mowbray said of Amad. “It's almost as though he wants to score a brilliant, perfect, goal where he just walks it in.

"It's like he wants to feint to shoot, sits somebody down, skips past the next one, feints to shoot, the goalie dives and then he rolls it into the opposite corner and we all go 'wow!' He was in the middle of the box on his favoured left foot, ten yards out, he just had to smash it in.

"He has to learn and we have to keep telling him. That's why he is out on loan from his parent club because they need to teach the players that when you get a chance at the top level, you have to take it.

"You don't have to look good, you have to be good. You are judged by the stats, the goals and the assists." 

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