Manchester United produced a flat display against Sunderland on Saturday and were lucky to escape the Stadium of Light with a point.
This was their first 0-0 draw of the season, and the visitors had Senne Lammens to thank for the fortunate point away from home.
Michael Carrick handed rare starts to fringe stars like Mason Mount and Joshua Zirkzee as he played a heavily rotated side.
Safe to say, the duo failed to grab their chance, and INEOS must be ruthless in the summer if they are serious about the club mounting a challenge on all four fronts.
Amad has been poor since AFCON return
But the biggest worry for the caretaker head coach will be the form of Amad, who has been off the boil ever since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Both his goals and all three of his assists came under Ruben Amorim, and the Ivorian has looked a shadow of his former self under Carrick.
| Category | Stat |
|---|---|
| Goals | 0 |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.06 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Expected Assists (xA) | 0.04 |
| Key Passes | 0 |
| Crosses (Accurate) | 3 (1) |
| Accurate Passes | 19/21 (90%) |
| Passes in Opposition Half (Acc.) | 16/18 (89%) |
| Passes in Own Half (Acc.) | 3/3 (100%) |
| Total Shots | 1 |
| Shots on Target | 0 |
| Shots Blocked | 0 |
| Touches | 41 |
| Unsuccessful Touches | 5 |
| Dribbles (Successful) | 3 (1) |
| Was Fouled | 2 |
| Possession Lost | 12 |
| Total Carrying Distance | 104.4 m |
| Carries | 16 |
| Progressive Carries | 2 |
| Total Progression | 51.7 m |
| Progressive Carrying Distance | 34.6 m |
| Longest Progressive Carry | 17.2 m |
| Defensive Contributions | 1 |
| Tackles (Won) | 0 (0) |
| Interceptions | 0 |
| Clearances | 0 |
| Blocked Shots | 1 |
| Recoveries | 1 |
| Ground Duels (Won) | 7 (3) |
| Aerial Duels (Won) | 2 (1) |
| Fouls | 1 |
| Dribbled Past | 1 |
match stats via sofascore
Against Sunderland, it was expected that the 23-year-old would shine bright, as he knows the opposition well having represented them on loan.
But during the 75 minutes he was on the pitch, the former Atalanta ace failed to create a single chance for his teammates.
Amad was poor with and without the ball vs Sunderland
Amad did not have a single shot on target, and found a teammate with only one of his attempted crosses (all stats via sofascore).
Normally such an assured dribbler, the United No.16 completed a single take-on and he fared little better off the ball.
The right-winger attempted zero tackles, while completing zero interceptions. He contested a total of nine duels, winning a mere four.
Not too long ago, the fanbase was yearning for him to start, with former manager Erik ten Hag denying him minutes.
INEOS need to address this
Amorim’s usage of Amad in a wingback role seemed to get the best out of him, but with the 3-4-3 system now thrown out of the window, INEOS need to take a good, hard look at his future.
A left winger seems to be the what the 20-time English league champions are targeting in the summer. It could be time to look at the opposite flank as well.
Feature image George Wood via Getty Images
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