Sunderland could have inadvertently ruined Erik ten Hag's masterplan for Amad Diallo at Manchester United by dropping to Luton Town within the Championship play-off semi-finals. The Black Cats went into Tuesday's second-leg assembly at Kenilworth Road with a slender one-goal benefit following their victory within the reverse fixture however conceded twice to sentence themselves to a different season in England's second tier.

Gabriel Osho acquired the hosts off to the proper begin contained in the opening 10 minutes earlier than a thumping header from Tom Lockyer noticed Luton take the lead on mixture, with the Hatters holding on till the ultimate whistle to ebook their place in subsequent weekend's Championship play-off ultimate. There had been jubilant scenes after the full-time whistle because the celebrations started and Luton followers will likely be eagerly awaiting the results of Wednesday's different semi-final between Middlesbrough and Coventry City in an effort to discover out their subsequent opponents.

Ten Hag is unlikely to have been as jubilant, although, given the dilemma he now faces relating to the way forward for Amad at Old Trafford upfront of subsequent season. The 20-year-old has been a revelation for Sunderland over the course of the present marketing campaign, scoring 14 targets in 38 league and play-off appearances, however is prone to stay exterior of Ten Hag's first-team setup at United upon his return to Manchester.

It would have made excellent sense for Amad to have gone again to Sunderland on mortgage subsequent season if the Wearside outfit had managed to attain promotion to the Premier League, though their failure to go up could have difficult issues considerably. Ten Hag will ideally need Amad to play at the next stage however there isn't any assure that he'll alter as properly if he's loaned out to a top-flight facet, which may danger harming his improvement in the long term.

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The Dutchman may even resolve to maintain Amad at United as a back-up possibility or to be used in home cup matches, however this strategy would fail to offer the ahead with the weekly begins that he has grown accustomed to at Sunderland over the course of his momentary spell on the Stadium of Light. A bit-part position with the Red Devils would additionally danger stunting his development as a participant in the identical method {that a} poor mortgage transfer would, which means that neither possibility could be ultimate for Amad or United subsequent season.

The different alternative, in fact, could be one other year-long transfer to Sunderland however it could imply a second successive season of Championship soccer for Amad, who may reap the rewards of testing himself in a harder league in an effort to bridge the hole between his present stage and the usual that will likely be required for him to excel at United.

Amad has clearly loved his time at Sunderland however remains to be very a lot targeted on breaking into Ten Hag's plans at United, with the participant himself outlining his 'dream' to turn into a key participant for the Red Devils within the not-too-distant future when quizzed on the subject final month.

"I know [the transfer fee] was a lot of money, but I didn’t really think about that, there’s no reason to worry about things you can’t influence," Amad advised FourFourTwo. "I was so happy to sign for Manchester United.

"It’s a membership with an enormous historical past, well-known all around the globe. I haven’t proven my finest for them but, however I hope subsequent season I can return and show my expertise. My dream is to play common soccer at Manchester United."

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