We all know Amad Diallo had an incredibly successful loan spell at Sunderland, but his former teammate, Corry Evans, believes he had a stroke of fortune, too.
If Manchester United fans are delighted with Amad Diallo now, they have a debt of gratitude to pay to Sunderland, with the Black Cats cited as a key influence on the youngster’s development.
The player himself has spoken before about how important the Sunderland ‘project’ was to his career, and we are signing the benefits of that now as he continues to tear up the Premier League.
But, according to Corry Evans, Diallo arrived on Wearside at the perfect time, with all the ingredients already in place for him to thrive.
Tony Mowbray was a blessing for Amad Diallo at Sunderland
Evans has already shared some insight into Diallo’s time at Sunderland, revealing how the loanee surprised everyone in training before going on to flourish in the first-team.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Evans went on to discuss the setup at Sunderland and how it suited Diallo to the ground, especially the influence of then-Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray.
He said: “I think he was lucky in the sense that we had Tony Mowbray, who was really entrusting with young players. Tony has done it loads of times throughout his career… He just trusts the players, no matter what age they are, and I think that’s why young players really develop under him.
“Tony just trusts them and says ‘listen, they’re talented, just give them the ball’. That’s what he used to say about Amad. He would say ‘give it to the good players. I’m not saying in a disrespectful way to you, but just give it to the good players because they’ll make the best decisions.’
“And then he would say something like ‘back when I was a player at Middlesbrough and Ipswich, I would give it to the best players and we would win games’. So it was always drilled in to feed him basically, give him the ball, because they’re the players who can change games.”
Sunderland fans certainly remember how ‘unplayable’ Diallo was during his time at the Stadium of Light, and even Mowbray himself has been open about the impact the player had there.
Regis Le Bris has the same approach to developing youth
Thankfully, Sunderland now have a very similar setup with Regis Le Bris in charge. The Frenchman has come in and picked up where Mowbray left off in many ways; handing a great deal of trust to the youngsters in the team and letting them show what they can do.
The likes of Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham have continued to impress, while Tommy Watson and Eliezer Mayenda have emerged as new stars in the team this season.
Sunderland have the youngest average age of any squad in the Championship this year, and yet they continue to defy expectations and challenge at the top of the table.
It just goes to show, you can win with kids, and it can have immense long-term benefits, too.