Ruben Amorim has confirmed that Amad Diallo has been granted time off Manchester United duty following a family bereavement.
The Ivorian will miss Saturday’s (September 27) Premier League clash against Brentford, with Amorim emphasizing that football takes a back seat during such difficult moments.
“Amad is not here, someone in his family passed away and we are giving all the support to him,” Amorim said.
“For Amad, we are here for him. It’s a tough moment. We are giving all the support to Amad.
“The next game is not important. In these kind of moments, football is not the most important thing.
“We can win without Amad but also we want to win for Amad.”
The winger has featured prominently in all six of United’s games this season, starting five, and has become an increasingly important part of Amorim’s setup in both attacking and wing-back roles.
His absence comes after a difficult week off the pitch, with the 22-year-old deleting all posts from his social media accounts following intense criticism.
Fans took to social media to criticize Amad for interacting with former-United-teammate-turned-Chelsea-winger Alejandro Garnacho during United’s win over Chelsea last weekend.
Amorim, however, downplayed the online noise and urged his players to stay grounded.
“I say the same thing to my players: shut down social media,” Amorim added. “It’s like that nowadays. It’s a price you have to pay.
“The important thing is the club and his friends are real life for Amad. We are here for him.”
Despite Amad’s absence, Amorim will be hoping his team can carry their positive momentum into their clash against Brentford as United are chasing back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time in the Portuguese’s tenure at Old Trafford.
“It’s really important for us to have that sense urgency that we have to win, no matter what.
“For me, we cannot control the result of the game, but to start the game the way we start against Chelsea, against Arsenal, against Burnley, and to have the feeling we can win every match.”
Manchester United news and related links
- Brentford vs. Man United lineups: Predicted starting XI, team news, injury latest with Matheus Cunha set to start
- Ruben Amorim breaks silence on Man Utd’s decision to keep Kobbie Mainoo
- New Man Utd striker admits Premier League is tougher test after slow start