Gary Neville has waxed lyrical about one Manchester United star after Ruben Amorim’s men completed a sensational 2-1 comeback win against Manchester City.
Ruben Amorim walked away with all three Premier League points after Manchester United travelled to the Etihad for the Manchester derby on Sunday evening.
United were chasing the Premier League match in the second half after City defender Josko Gvardiol broke the deadlock in the first half.
The Red Devils won a late penalty thanks to Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes stepped up and sent Ederson the wrong way from the spot-kick.
Red Devils winger Amad Diallo would seal a stunning win for United at the Etihad only two minutes after Bruno Fernandes netted his penalty.
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Neville praises Man Utd star
Manchester United are 13th in the Premier League table under Ruben Amorim and the Red Devils are six points behind the top four.
Amad Diallo was a standout performer for United in Sunday’s 2-1 win and the 22-year-old winger had a sensational impact against Manchester City.
The Ivorian attacker has become a key first-team player for Amorim after the United manager arrived at Old Trafford from Sporting CP in November.
Amad has shown his versatility at United this season and has played both on the right wing and as a wing-back under former Sporting CP boss Amorim.
Gary Neville insisted that the Ivory Coast international has been the only United player who has been playing with “freedom and energy” on the pitch.
“For Manchester United winning, it was just one man,” he said on The Gary Neville Podcast.
“There were a couple of other decent performers – I thought actually [Harry] Maguire, [Lisandro] Martinez and [Matthijs] De Ligt did quite well as a back three, they were quite solid – but there was nothing else in front of them other than Amad Diallo.
“I called it in the first half and he was the player we featured before the game; he’s the only player who is playing with anything like the freedom and energy, enthusiasm, tenacity and belief that represents what you would expect in a Premier League footballer playing for the club.
“The rest of them really are struggling confidence-wise and quality-wise. The club is struggling on and off the pitch at this moment in time. A lot of people hide behind the excuses… but he still plays football like he’s a kid.”
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Neville compares Amad to Man Utd legend
Amad has proven his quality under United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy and Red Devils manager Amorim after Erik ten Hag was sacked in late October.
The United winger was left fighting for a regular starting place under former Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag, despite impressing during the pre-season tour.
Neville admitted that Amad has shown shades of United legend Wayne Rooney with the way that the Ivory Coast winger thinks of football.
“He has never stopped thinking of football like he’s playing on the street. Wayne Rooney was the exact same,” he added.
“They are street football players and they believe they should get it and beat men and attack men and take the ball and take risks and he did all the way through the game.
“He set up the penalty through hard work, pressing and closing down and then obviously the winner will live with him forever. It’s a magical moment for him, it really is.
“A draw may have been fair because it was average – woeful at times – but Amad Diallo was the one player who deserved to win the game because he was the one player on the pitch because he looked like something.”
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