Manchester United were on a high for most of Thursday’s match against Southampton at Old Trafford, but once again they were rescued by Amad Diallo in a 3-1 win. Amad scored a hat-trick in the second half, with all the goals coming after the 80th minute of play, turning around a match that seemed headed for a loss. The 22-year-old has had a breakthrough season under Ruben Amorim and now has six goals and six assists in the Premier League. Amad became the first Manchester United player to score a hat-trick since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2022 – pretty good company to be in.
His goals also came at key moments, including four that changed the game. Scoring the winner in the Manchester derby, a draw against Liverpool and this hat-trick against Southampton all contributed significantly for the Red Devils during a frustrating season.
Much has been said about Manchester United being closer to the relegation places in the Premier League than a place in the Champions League, but after Amad saved them against Southampton it’s a good time to look at just how real the danger is to United . Over the past five seasons, the safety tally has been 36 points in the Premier League, with 39 points being the highest total for 17th.
After the victory over Southampton, Manchester United is in twelfth place and has only 47 points this season. With five league defeats in ten games under Amorim, United’s positioning has gone from poor to worrying, as avoiding a drop is a very real concern. Currently, United should be comfortably safe, but all that is needed is for this bad run to continue for longer and for the expected points to drop quickly. Anything can happen against Brighton, Fulham, Crystal Palace, Tottenham and Everton in the next five games.
Europa League play will return soon, meaning there will be more rotation and United cannot rely on Amad to save them in every match. Since Amorim took over, strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have combined for just three goals in Premier League play. Add to that the fact that United conceded a whopping ten goals in the league from corners, and it’s easy to see why the struggle continued, even when playing at home against the side at the bottom of the table.
Amorim has inherited a squad that needs a lot of work, and with the January transfer window now open, the process of improving that squad can begin, but first a new home must be found for Marcus Rashford. Freeing up the striker’s wages will give United more flexibility because while Amad has done a lot on his own, he can’t do everything.
The Europa League must be given priority because it is the only chance of European football next season, but that is difficult if United continues to drop points in the competition, putting themselves in even more danger. It’s great that Amorim has discovered who his best option for goals is, but now United need to figure out who else they can look at beyond the 22-year-old.