MANCHESTER UNITED will give Amad Diallo a chance to stake a claim for a first-team place at Old Trafford this summer, but Tony Mowbray has not given up hope of being able to re-sign the forward at Sunderland next season.

Amad’s loan spell at the Stadium of Light will expire at the end of the season, which could mean Monday’s game at Preston is his final game in red-and-white if things do not go to plan and the Black Cats miss out on a place in the play-offs.

The Ivory Coast international has been a huge success in the last nine months, and whatever league they are playing in next season, Sunderland would ideally like to be able to go on his services again next term.

Manchester United’s head of loan players, Les Parry, visited Mowbray at the Academy of Light earlier this week, and expressed his pleasure at Amad’s progress during his time on Wearside. However, he also spelled out Erik ten Hag’s desire to name the 20-year-old in his first-team squad for pre-season, a move that diminishes the likelihood of Amad being sent out on loan again next term.

Mowbray said: “The loan manager from Manchester United was in this week and we had a good chat, I was saying it's a shame we didn't do a two-year loan!

“I think Man United are happy, but I think the next step is for them to take Amad on pre-season to America. That’s what I think is going to happen. Then they’ll see how he gets on.

“They know what they’ve got, they bought him, but I think when the new manager came in, it was right on the cusp of whether they were going to keep him or not. He liked some of the stuff, but then he maybe wasn’t sure about other things.

“I’m sure he’s been watching Amad’s clips from games, just as I watch all of our players who are out on loan, and seeing what he can do. But he’ll need to see him on a daily basis and feel what he brings.

“I’m sure everyone will have an opinion on whether he’s good enough or not good enough for Man United, but the reality is that the manager needs to watch him, see and feel him in a game, and see what he brings.”

Edouard Michut’s loan deal from Paris St Germain is also due to expire at the end of the current campaign, although Sunderland have an agreement in place that would enable them to sign the midfielder on a permanent basis.

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A price has already been agreed with PSG officials, and is reportedly set at around €2.5m with significant add-ons, with Michut also understood to be interesting a number of clubs in the Premier League.

On a purely footballing basis, Mowbray would love to have Michut as part of his squad for next season, but the Black Cats head coach accepts there are significant financial implications to a permanent deal that remain under discussion.

“Edouard is a young footballer who has shown what a talent he is and what an exceptionally good footballer he is,” he said. “He's a young guy who's been thrust into a different country, a different squad, and the positive for him has been that we've had some French-speaking lads around him.

“As I sit here, we ultimately haven't made the decision. We want to get the season finished and see how it goes, and then it's a two-way conversation.

“Edouard has to decide whether he's enjoyed it enough, whether he's had enough game time and whether the way we play suits him. We have to decide whether the cost is appropriate for what we will have to try and add to the team and what we have to strengthen in all areas of the pitch.”