At last, Manchester United’s European hoodoo is over.
It had been seven games since the club’s last win in continental competition, a 1-0 victory over FC Copenhagen in October 2023, but they ended that run with a comfortable 2-0 triumph over PAOK.
Amad Diallo was the star, scoring both United’s goals on a satisfying night for interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy as he keeps the Old Trafford seat warm for Ruben Amorim.
We dissect the night’s big talking points.
Has Diallo now earned a Premier League start?
United fans wanted to see more of Diallo under Erik ten Hag but this was his first start since a 1-1 draw with FC Twente. And he made the most of it.
His two goals stole the show, but the Ivory Coast international looked in the mood from the start, twisting and turning in tight spaces and forcing PAOK defenders to commit. In the 17th minute he drove into the area and collided with Abdul Baba Rahman, who seemed to tread on his feet, but VAR did not overturn the on-field officials’ decision to play on. Then, a few minutes later, Amad whipped in a cross that Ramus Hojlund headed straight at the goalkeeper.
Ultimately, he took matters into his own hands and five minutes after half-time, it was his looping header at the back post – connecting with a Fernandes cross – that opened the scoring.
Then, just as United were starting to fret over failing to extend their lead, he forced a turnover high up the field against Rahman, tore towards goal and bent a left-footed shot past Dominik Kotarski with the aid of a slight deflection.
It wasn’t a faultless performance, and there were a couple of sloppy moments in the first half where he might have done better. He probably should have scored a second just before the hour when he hit a shot straight at Kotarski, but he was still United’s standout performer.
Amad is usually more of goal creator, who thrives when operating in the half spaces, than an out-and-out winger. His skillset makes for an interesting contrast to the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford, who prefer to run in behind defences and shoot.
It remains to be seen which pair of attackers Ruben Amorim opts to play behind a central striker in his 3-4-3. But Amad did enough against PAOK to earn consideration for United’s game against Leicester City on Sunday, provided his 81st-minute withdrawal here was not down to anything serious.
How can United revive their attack?
If you had watched the first half of this game on mute, you might have been fooled into thinking this was a pre-season match, such was United’s intensity in front of goal.
United fans had spent the early parts of 2024-25 wishing they had a younger version of Van Nistelrooy to go up front and solve their goalscoring woes. Even the Dutchman in his pomp would have struggled with the lacklustre service this team can manage at the moment. United struggle to sustain pressure in the final third and often flub their lines when it comes to making the killer pass.
Fernandes, Garnacho and Manuel Ugarte were all guilty of poor decision making when it came to open up an ordinary PAOK defence that was content to sit deep. Van Nistelrooy tried to tweak things by sending Noussair Mazraoui further forward down the right to join Diallo, but on more than one occasion he was seen giving Diogo Dalot some guidance on his positioning at left-back to aid with early phases of build up.
United cannot put the ball in the net reliably, because they cannot get the ball from the edge of their penalty area to the opposition’s with any consistency. Yet this a problem that exists above the shoulders as much as below them.
If this was a Sunday League team, the manager might be incline to cancel the next training and organise a curry night to relax the nerves and improve team bonding. Unfortunately time never rests for United. They will have to figure out a way to solve their confidence issues by being a bit more confident in front of goal.
One key challenge will be how to get Hojlund onto the ball and running at defences more. At the hour mark, the Denmark international had enjoyed only 14 touches of the ball; PAOK striker Tarik Tissoudali had 22. Amorim will likely change United to a 3-4-3 shape and hope to get runners and creators closer to his central striker, but this team is a ways off putting together an attacking performance on par with Sporting’s 4-1 win over Manchester City.
Can Mount now stay fit?
Amad’s substitution opened the door for Mason Mount’s return. It was the his first game for United since the 3-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on September 29, and he kept things neat and tidy, playing on the right.
It has been a stop-start United career for Mount, who has missed 30 games for the club due to injury so far. Amorim is more likely to move him up from central midfield and into one of the attacking spots behind the centre-forwards, a role he thrived in during his years at Chelsea.
Mount’s diligence out of possession, pressing opponents and spotting third man runs, should make him a decent option for his new manager.
The first challenge he has is remaining fit. The second will be to push past the likes of Fernandes, Garnacho, Eriksen, Rashford and Amad to secure one of those lucrative attacking spots.
Can Mount do it and make good on his promise? Or will he be another player to fall to the recent pressures of being a United No 7?
What next for Man Utd?
Sunday, November 10: Leicester (H), Premier League, 2.00pm GMT, 9am ET
Recommended reading
- Amorim will find implementing a back three complicated
- What did Sporting’s City thrashing teach United?
- Mike Phelan: ‘United’s decision-making? It’s quite confusing’
- Ruben Amorim, his week under Mourinho at United and an internship that shaped him
(Top photo: Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
