From boasting an abundance of left-wingers before the exodus of Alejandro Garnacho and co last summer, Manchester United now appear to be well-stocked on the right flank instead.
Indeed, in last weekend’s pre-season win over Atletico Madrid, Michael Carrick started three players who could all be considered natural right-sided players, in the form of Shea Lacey, Bryan Mbeumo and Amad.
With Lacey still a mere teenager, and Mbeumo – who again scored from a centre-forward berth – potentially set to rival Benjamin Sesko through the middle, that role could be Amad’s to lose heading into the new season.
And yet, after a difficult 2025/26 campaign for the Ivorian, don’t be surprised if United do seek out a potential upgrade.
Why 2026/27 is a pivotal season for Amad at Man Utd
You do have to give credit to the way in which Amad has battled his way to the top over recent years, having initially moved to Manchester as a mere teenager in January 2021.
After a muted spell on loan at Rangers, prior to a breakout year at Sunderland, it did take until 2024/25 for the diminutive talent to truly cement a first-team role for himself at Old Trafford, ending that season in double figures for both goals and assists in all competitions.
The big beneficiary – or rather, the only beneficiary – of Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 set-up, the ex-Atalanta wonderkid appeared to have found his groove at wing-back, producing key moments that year such as his vital goals away at the Etihad and Anfield.
A bumper new contract was signed, yet he was unable to kick on in a turbulent 2026/26 season, one of the few not to benefit from Carrick’s arrival in the dugout.
In all, Amad registered just two goals and three assists in the Premier League, only one of which came post-AFCON, a poor return for any forward at an elite club.
At 24, he’s no longer a mere prospect either, with this the season where he really needs to find his groove, having been something of a spare part last time out as Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko all scored 10+ league goals around him.
Amad’s woes last year may well have heightened the need for reinforcements on the flanks, with Jason Wilcox and co seemingly working on an incoming.
How Man Utd could potentially upgrade on Amad
Even with Marcus Rashford set to return to Carrington, the forward line looks a little short on depth and genuine quality, with Carrick an injury or two away from crisis in that department.
The Red Devils had previously been eyeing a potential £50m deal for Dutch winger, Crysencio Summerville, albeit with the former Leeds United man instead tempted by the riches of Saudi Arabia.
Genuine links since then have been thin on the ground in terms of attacking signings, although according to L’Equipe, INEOS and Wilcox are in the mix to sign Paris Saint-Germain starlet, Ibrahim Mbaye.
Both Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool currently lead the race for the 18-year-old, although United are among the clubs who have already made moves of their own, some said to be ‘more concrete than others’.
The Senegalese sensation hasn’t yet decided on his preferred destination, despite those links to the Anfield side, ensuring there is still hope of INEOS securing a deal of their own over the coming weeks.
Hailed as the “next Kylian Mbappe” by GOAL, Mbaye is yet another teen star to explode onto the scene at PSG, with it no surprise that clubs are queueing up for his signature.
The fact that the Ligue 1 side may be open to a sale shouldn’t be of great concern considering they are already blessed with an elite, Champions League-winning forward line, with that perhaps the main reason Mbaye hasn’t featured more heavily, alongside his relative youth.
Mbaye – 25/26 Ligue 1 stats |
|---|
24 games |
10 starts |
3 goals |
2 assists |
4 big chances missed |
2 big chances created |
0.8 key passes |
86% pass accuracy |
0.9 succ. dribbles |
35km/h top speed |
7.8 ball lost |
Last season, for instance, he matched Amad’s tally of five league goal involvements despite only starting ten games, scoring once every 332 minutes. The United man, meanwhile, scored once every 1172 minutes.
At the age of 18, Amad was only on the fringes for club and country at senior level, yet Mbaye is already making himself front and centre, notably shining in his brief outings at the World Cup.
In the opening group game against France, the PSG speedster scored a spectacular consolation goal in Senegal’s 3-1 defeat, skipping his way into the penalty area down the right flank, before unleashing a devastating finish into the roof of the net.
That moment of magic showcased why those Mbappe comparisons aren’t quite so fanciful, with there a truly explosive, breathtaking quality to the youngster’s game that makes him so eye-catching.
Previously the youngest-ever player to start a game for PSG at just 16 years, 6 months and 23 days, Mbaye is a genuine superstar in the making, and a potential long-term solution on United’s right flank.
Amad should well be worried.
