Michael Carrick names Man Utd star who is 'absolute joy' to work with despite horror error against Liverpool

United have enjoyed a remarkable resurgence under Carrick, collecting 32 points since his January appointment and officially securing their return to the Champions League. However, Diallo has faced a challenging period, including a half-time withdrawal against Brentford and a significant defensive mistake that led to a goal against Liverpool. Despite the external scrutiny following that error, Carrick utilised his pre-match briefing for the Sunderland fixture to emphasise his continued faith in the attacker's attitude and immense potential.

Addressing the moment he consoled the forward at full-time against Liverpool, Carrick was adamant that mistakes would not define the 23-year-old's season. Carrick said: "Amad's fine. He's absolutely fine. There's no problem. He was smiling full-time. Mistakes are part of football. I've made them. I've made plenty as a player, I understand, and sometimes you make them and it leads to a goal. Sometimes you make them and you get away with it and no one really talks about it."

Beyond addressing the error, Carrick highlighted the broader impact the forward has made since the manager’s arrival at Old Trafford. He praised the player's holistic contribution and said: "He's done so many good things since I came back and the impact that he's had on the team and his performances and what he gives the team, with the ball, without the ball, his energy, his attitude towards it.

"And he's been great over the last few days and he was great after the game and so he should be. He's got nothing to feel down about or upset about and frustrated about because he's got so much to look forward to and he's so talented and so exciting and absolute joy to work with. So, he's in a good place, he's in a good place and I'm sure he's looking forward to the game on Saturday.”

United travel to face Sunderland on Saturday, boasting a formidable historical record, having lost just one of their 15 Premier League visits to the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats have struggled immensely in this fixture, suffering 24 defeats against the Red Devils, their highest loss tally against any opponent in the competition's history. While Sunderland remain unbeaten when scoring first this season, Carrick’s clinical side will look to exploit their host's poor record against top-four teams to solidify their league standing further.