There are three P’s which are essential to a successful loan; a plan, a purpose, and a sense of perspective. Without these crucial ingredients, the recipe can fail. With them, however, a loan move can prove extremely formative for a young player. The type of experience which elevates their skillset from prospect to contender; one that could not be achieved in the reserves.

The establishment of a plan exists largely on the part of the loanee club. How are they going to utilise the player? What role do they envision that player fulfilling? The purpose of the loan lies mostly with the parent club however. What are they hoping to achieve by sending their player out on loan? Are they selecting the right environment for their hopes to materialise?

The sense of perspective is ultimately shared by the two clubs. The club accepting the loanee must keep in mind there are reasons the player is being sent out on loan. They must be willing to balance the personal development of the player with the overall effectiveness of their team. The club sending the player on loan has to envision the footballer their player can become; not the one they are now. They must also resist the temptation to interrupt the loan, in spite of reasons to do so – a loan is as much about the journey for the player as it is the destination.

Which brings us to Amad Diallo. Signed two years ago from Atalanta, the Ivorian winger arrived with a big fee and a small frame at a mere 18 years of age. Chances were few and far between for Diallo to break into the first-team, consigned largely to the reserves. The decision was taken after a year in Manchester for Diallo to venture into men’s football on loan. Rangers were selected and he relocated to Scotland in January 2022. The loan, however, lacked an appreciation for the 3 P’s.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst, the Rangers manager at the time, did not appear to have a clear plan to utilise Diallo. One of the two big brothers of Scottish football, Rangers are expected to dominate domestically, and challenge in Europe. They finished the season second in the league, lost the final of the Europa League, but were victorious in the Scottish FA Cup. Diallo played ten times in the league, three times in the FA Cup, and not a single minute in the Europa League. It is, understandable, however, that van Bronckhorst would be hesitant to rely too heavily on an inexperienced youngster when challenging for high-level trophies. His perspective and plan for Diallo, therefore, rendered Manchester United’s purpose for the loan a failure.

United would have selected Rangers based on the competitive level and intensity of Scottish football. It’s a league where Diallo would naturally be one of the more talented players, yet a league in which players fervently reflect the passions of the fans. The experience of men’s football, the experience of living in a new city, the experience of playing for a team expected to win, would all have coalesced to help Diallo grow personally. Yet the lack of minutes, and lack of trust from the manager, would have yielded little in terms of his development as a footballer. The purpose of the loan did not succeed as the plan did not align with it.

But where Glasgow offered little to Diallo, Sunderland has become a second home. Taken under the wing of Tony Mowbray in August on a year-long loan, Diallo took a little while to adapt to the physical rigours of the Championship, but now appears to be flying for Sunderland. Six goals and an assist in his last eleven games, as well as a nomination for Player of the Month in December, confirm this perception. Sunderland fans and players appear to have taken to Diallo, and Diallo to them. But it is the symbiosis between Sunderland’s plan and Manchester United’s purpose which has ultimately produced this result.

Sunderland have one of the youngest squads in the Championship, with an average age of 22.7. This is a deliberate shift by the club at the executive level; ten players were signed in the summer, all under the age of 24. Mowbray, appointed at a similar time to Diallo’s arrival, appears to have embraced the challenge of youth in a way that van Bronckhorst was unwilling to. In a recent interview he spoke about this delicate dance:

‘The team is developing, and it’s a team we have to improve and make them understand football better – as well as making sure their individual performance levels stay high.’

Mowbray has been effusive in his praise of Diallo as well, describing him as an ‘amazing talent…I watch him in training…and he does some extraordinary things with the ball… it’s unbelievable how talented he is.’ But the Sunderland manager balances this with a healthy dose of reality, recently commenting that ‘…you can also understand why he’s out on loan, to develop the core materials you need to be a competitive footballer. He needs to find a better end product.’ This combination of belief in Diallo’s talent, but expectation for him to improve, is the perfect alignment of the plan and purpose involved in a loan move. And it’s a loan which has been noted by his parent manager.

Erik Ten Hag praised Diallo’s form at Sunderland, detailing how ‘he has made really good progress there so I’m happy with that.’ Ten Hag has also been commenting publicly on the need for reinforcements, particularly in attack. Donny van de Beek going off injured last night has only compounded this need. Diallo, therefore, appears an attractive option to recall to Manchester. But the Dutch manager must maintain a sense of perspective about the loan. The potential contributions Diallo could make from the bench for United pale in comparison to the potential development he will continue to experience on the pitch for Sunderland. Ten Hag made reference to this notion recently:

‘We consider everything but I have a little bit of reservation about because I don’t want to stop the process.’

The place from which Diallo can offer the most to Manchester United, therefore, appears to be Sunderland. The plan the Championship team have for him aligns perfectly with the purpose the Premier League team sent him there with. The mutually shared appreciation for development between the two managers only compounds this further. The Stadium of Light represents the best environment for Amad Diallo to ultimately end up playing at Old Trafford, and Ten Hag must resist the urge to make the transition prematurely. It’s a loan which is ticking all the boxes.

Darragh Fox