Manchester United have offered support to Amad Diallo after the winger was subjected to a wave of online abuse in the wake of Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Old Trafford.
The 23-year-old posted a photograph on Instagram showing himself and former team-mate Alejandro Garnacho swapping shirts in the tunnel after the match.
Garnacho, who left United for Chelsea in a £40million move this summer, was loudly booed by sections of the home support and targeted with hostile chants as he warmed up but did not feature in the game.
Amad’s post drew a barrage of negative comments from some fans, leading the Ivory Coast international to delete every image from his Instagram feed.
Club staff checked in on him on Monday to ensure his well-being, according to The Sun.
Insiders at Old Trafford described the post as “naive” but stressed that Amad is in good spirits and has been coping well, crediting his resilience to his challenging upbringing before moving to Europe.
The winger has been a popular figure within the squad since signing for United from Atalanta in 2020 and is known to have built a close friendship with Garnacho, who is represented by the same agency.
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Manchester United have offered support to Amad Diallo after the winger was subjected to a wave of online abuse in the wake of Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Old Trafford
|PA
Amad even spoke publicly during United’s post-season tour of Malaysia and Hong Kong in May, expressing his hope that Garnacho would remain at the club.
“Alejandro is a really good player and we need a good player in the team,” the winger said at the time.
“I know Garna really well so I hoped to have him here next season. Everything is good now, I think.”
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Man Utd star Amad Diallo was close to Alejandro Garnacho during their time at Old Trafford
|PA
Garnacho’s departure was one of the major talking points of the summer window.
The Argentine winger was part of the so-called “bomb squad” alongside Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia, who were told to train separately from the main group as new head coach Ruben Amorim reshaped his squad.
Garnacho pushed for a move and eventually joined Chelsea on August 30, becoming United’s fourth-highest sale in club history.
United now appear keen to ensure that Amad, who has impressed since returning from a successful loan spell at Sunderland in 2023, is not affected by the reaction to his social media post.
His situation has been handled internally, with the club emphasising that he remains an important part of Amorim’s plans for the season ahead.
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Manchester United eventually ran out 2-1 victors over Chelsea on Saturday
| REUTERSThe episode highlights the continued challenge top-flight footballers face with online abuse.
United have been vocal about protecting their players from social media harassment, previously calling on platforms to take stronger action to remove offensive content directed at players.
Amad is expected to be available for selection when United travel to face Brentford on Saturday.
The Red Devils lost 4-3 in the same fixture last term, with Garnacho and Amad both scoring during that fixture.