Sunderland AFC struck transfer gold with Man United agreement

The season of 2021-22 saw Sunderland finally secure a spot back in the Championship, with Alex Neil’s side seeing off Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 at Wembley in the League One play-off final.

This saw them heading into the following season with aspirations of survival, as they looked to secure themselves as a solid second-tier side before pushing on.

However, what occurred was far beyond that, as the Black Cats secured a sixth-placed finish just a year after they had finished fifth in the tier below.

This achievement was down to a number of factors, with new boss Tony Mowbray injecting fresh energy into the Stadium of Light.

Perhaps most notably, the loan signing of Amad Diallo from Manchester United proved to be an inspired move.

The then 20-year-old took his time, but once he found his feet, the young winger terrorised Championship defences and formed a formidable partnership with his left-sided counterpart Jack Clarke.

Amad Diallo signs for Sunderland

Signed for a fee of €40 million in 2020, Amad Diallo arrived at Manchester United with a big expectation. However, at his youthful age, the winger struggled to find his feet and the subsequent season he was sent out on a six-month loan at Rangers to gain some experience.

Having returned from Ibrox, that summer saw Erik Ten Haag look to loan him out again and on deadline day of 2022, the Black Cats snapped the Ivorian up on a temporary one-year deal.

Making his debut in a defeat to Middlesbrough, his initial months at the Stadium of Light saw game time-limited, with Mowbray preferring the experienced Patrick Roberts.

However, with results slumping, the head coach afforded Diallo more of an opportunity, and he netted his first goal in a 4-2 defeat to Burnley.

This strike saw him become the favoured option and over the next seven months, he would show his Premier League quality.