Amad Diallo's Man Utd future assessed amid Sunderland manager decision

Manchester United forward Amad Diallo remains on the radar of Championship side Sunderland but the sacking of Tony Mowbray could impact plans.

In the summer, Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman made clear that he expects the youngster to be playing 'top-tier' football next season.

Amad made a major impression on loan from Manchester United last season, finishing the campaign as the club's top scorer with 14 goals across all competitions.

Reports in the aftermath of the season's conclusion at Luton Town suggested that the forward could be keen on returning to Wearside, and the player himself made clear the depth of his affection for the club on social media.

He stayed in Manchester but then suffered an injury blow. Sunderland have been strongly linked with a return for Amad, while there is also interest from both home and abroad. Tony Mowbray built a strong connection with Amad during his time on loan and is exit could impact the forward making the return.

What has Tony Mowbray said about Sunderland's interest in Amad?

Last week, before he was sacked, Mowbray was asked if Amad could return in January, he said: "You are asking the wrong person to be honest.

"I don't know what the plans are for January at the moment, we haven't really discussed it yet.

"I would imagine if he's going to be fit he'll be going off to the Africa Cup of Nations. I don't think he'd be available for the whole of January.

"Let's see what the club are thinking of how we are doing by then."

Speaking in the summer, Speakman said: "The whole point for Amad was to come here, be successful and go to the next level. Let’s be really clear, he’s a tier-one footballer in the global game. There’s a lot of clubs out there, Bundesliga, La Liga, Premier League… that will want to take him.

"The really nice thing I think is that I think he would want to come back, and that says a lot about his experience here and how the fans have taken to him. That’s the really positive thing for us to take forward."