Erik ten Hag admits that Amad Diallo deserves more playing time after his 121st-minute winner secured a 4-3 FA Cup win over Liverpool on Sunday.
Diallo has missed a large chunk of the 2023-24 campaign due to a knee injury but made his return in the defeat to Nottingham Forest at the end of December.
Since then, the Ivory Coast international has largely struggled for minutes and usually finds himself as an unused substitute.
But Diallo was United’s hero this weekend and Ten Hag lauded the 21-year-old in his post-match press conference.
‘I’m so happy for him,’ Ten Hag said. ‘He is one of the players with a huge setback this season, a bad injury, returning from it, but returning to a team where there is a lot of competition for his position.
‘He does not always get the time to play he deserves by his training performances but then he is coming on, then he shows his contribution, scoring a goal.
‘But we know he can do it, we know he has the key moments where he can decide a game. I am very pleased he got the winner.
‘We had another sub, Antony, who scores an equaliser, he is also in a problematic situation but you see he is fighting as well, he wants to contribute as well. I’m very happy with the bench today.’
Ten Hag also praised United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka as he added: ‘We have had so many set-backs, all time time. Every time we have to adapt.
‘Yesterday, Jonny Evans in the last minute of training dropped out. Then we have to adjust to bring a player in who didn’t play or train for four or five weeks.
‘He only had one or two training sessions with the team. But he came in, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, he was playing so well.’
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