Ryan Giggs says Solskjaer’s £19m Man Utd signing is now irreplaceable | Football

Ryan Giggs believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s £19m Manchester United signing is now virtually irreplaceable to current manager Ruben Amorim.

Club legend Solskjaer was in the Old Trafford hot-seat when United signed then-teenage winger Amad Diallo from Atalanta in 2021.

The Red Devils paid an initial £19m for Amad but the overall cost of the transfer could rise to £37m if add-ons are activated.

Amad had loan spells at Rangers and Sunderland before establishing himself as a key member of the United first-team.

The 23-year-old made 43 appearances last season, scoring 11 goals, and has played in all but two of Manchester United’s Premier League games this season.

Amad missed United’s narrow defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend as he has travelled to Morocco to take part in Ivory Coast’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

His AFCON exploits means Manchester United could be without Amad for most of January, and Giggs is unsure how Amorim will go about replacing the versatile star.

Giggs shares similar concerns about Bryan Mbeumo’s absence but is less worried about Noussair Mazraoui’s departure to AFCON.

‘With Mazraoui, we’ve probably got cover as long as De Ligt and Maguire come back,’ Giggs told BetSelect. ‘Martinez has come back to bolster that defence, which is good timing.

‘Sesko is now back, which helps. But it’s definitely going to be a blow because Mbeumo has probably been the best player so far this season and looks like a real threat.

‘Plays every game, has power, scores goals, and Amad can make things happen. So yeah, it’s going to be tough. But with Sesko coming back, Cunha could drop back into where Mbeumo was playing.

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‘Amad will be difficult to replace, and I don’t know how we’re going to do it, whether we are going to change shape. I’m not too sure. But those two lads [Mbeumo and Amad] are definitely going to be missed.

‘And I think United fans are just hoping that their countries don’t go through the group stage, and we don’t miss them for too long.

‘The plus side is that Mason Mount has come back into the team. And that’s a massive plus. You never know how good a player is until they’re playing regularly.

‘And now we’re starting to see the Mason Mount that we saw at Chelsea for a number of years. He’s a good, clever player.

‘All the coaches like him. When you’re a manager, you want players you can trust, and he looks like someone you can really trust.’

Manchester United, currently seventh in the Premier League, will look to get back to winning ways on Boxing Day when Newcastle United visit Old Trafford.

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