When Manchester United scout players, they want to see someone not just with ability, but with personality too, someone who can step up and deliver in the most challenging circumstances. So the club's staff will have been delighted to see Amad Diallo's wondergoal for Sunderland against Luton on Saturday.
Trailing 1-0 at home in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final, Diallo stood over a free-kick from a position that most players would have crossed into the box. Instead, he asked for it to be laid off to his left and produced an unstoppable finish, whipping the ball into the far top corner.
His manager Tony Mowbray purred on the sidelines, while Gary Lineker was one of many to take to social media to rave about the goal, which helped the Black Cats earn a crucial 2-1 win. But to anyone who has charted Amad's progress this season while on loan from United, it was not a surprise.
Mowbray has described the forward as "a magician", and Sunderland's chances of holding off Luton in Tuesday's second leg and then winning the play-off final will likely rest on whether the forward can produce yet more sorcery.
But however Sunderland's season ends, they know that they are unlikely to count on Amad for much longer. Two years after United agreed to pay Atalanta up to £37 million to sign the then-18-year-old, they are watching him blossom into a truly exciting footballer from afar.
Now the club have a huge decision to make which could determine the player's future as well as their own. Should they cash in on his success at Sunderland or send him out on another loan so he can continue his rise?Or should Erik ten Hag give him a shot in the first team and unleash a thrilling, youthful forward line with Alejandro Garnacho on the left wing and Amad on the right?
