With Jadon Sancho and Antony currently out of the reckoning, you have to spare a thought for what is most probably currently running through Amad’s mind.

The Manchester United youngster, after thriving on loan at Sunderland last season, returned to Old Trafford with the ambition of forcing his way into Erik ten Hag’s plans this term. His hopes of doing so were almost immediately strengthened when he was included in the Dutchman’s 31-man squad for the pre-season tour of the United States.

His hopes of catching Ten Hag’s attention on the tour, however, were quashed within just 14 minutes. After stepping off the bench at half-time in the 2-0 win over Arsenal in New Jersey, which marked United’s tour opener, he was forced off just under a quarter of an hour later through injury.

United, following their return to home soil, confirmed that the Ivorian, who lit up the Championship last term with his skill, glitz and glamour, had suffered a knee injury and would miss the ‘first part’ of the club’s Premier League campaign. An exact time frame was not specified.

Exactly seven weeks since that statement was released, Amad is yet to return to first-team training. He has, however, taken to social media on a couple of occasions to share encouraging updates on his rehabilitation.

Though it remains to be seen how much longer he will be sidelined for, his injury, considering United are currently without both Sancho and Antony for different off-field issues, could not have arrived at a worse juncture, for both the club and Amad himself. Being two wingers down would have presented the Ivorian, who plundered 14 goals at Sunderland last term, with an opportunity to stake a claim and prove his worth.

Granted, the gulf in class between the Championship and the Premier League is huge, just as Luton Town are quickly discovering, but no shortage of players have made the step-up in recent years. It was not that long ago that Mason Mount was on loan at Derby County, of course.

Amad, who joined United from Atalanta in January 2021, was one of the star performers in the Championship last season, often leaving those who watched him in awe of his capabilities. The ball, at times, was like it was glued to his foot, such was the way he glided past defenders and sent them one way and then another. He was an exceptional talent at that level.

The next step in his career is for him to try and prove himself at Premier League level. Had he avoided an injury in pre-season, it would have been interesting to see if the Reds had retained him or perhaps sent him out on loan to another top flight club.

But now that Sancho faces an uncertain future at Old Trafford, following his decision to hit back at Ten Hag in a social media post earlier this month, a place in the Dutchman’s plans may open up for Amad once he recovers from injury. United, certainly currently, lack natural wide options and Amad would offer something different to their other options, both for the here and now and the future.

Though he played the bulk of his football at Sunderland on the right-wing, he also has the credentials to play on the left. Black Cats manager Tony Mowbray also deployed him as a No.10 and as a striker on several occasions, highlighting his versatility in attacking areas.

Sancho, too, was also the subject of positional experiments occasionally last season, being deployed out wide and through the middle. He offered glimpses of what he could bring to the fold in the centre, though it never felt like it was a natural home for him.

Though United, currently, would need to utilise Amad as a winger, his versatility is not to be sniffed at. He would bring plenty to the table.

Furthermore, as he demonstrated last term, he has the ability to produce something special in the blink of an eye. Some players are naturally gifted, and he is one of them.

Should Sancho’s United career, as is widely expected, come to a conclusion in the coming months, the Reds could do far worse than giving Amad a chance to prove his worth, even if, should he have recovered from his injury in time, it is only a spell between January and the end of the season, for example.

Sancho went into the start of this season in the likelihood of being a rotational winger, offering back-up to both Marcus Rashford and Antony, who were seen as starters. Amad could be the ideal candidate for that role.