Amad Diallo has been told he is “not a top player” despite his recent heroics at Manchester United.
He red devils The winger has seen his playing time increase since the arrival of Ruben Amorim.
Diallo repaid Amorim's trust in him by scoring the winning goal in United's 2-1 Champions League win. city of manchester last Sunday.
And the 22-year-old was at it again on Thursday night, scoring in United's 4-3 Carabao Cup win. defeat in the quarterfinals against Tottenham.
Diallo's impressive form comes at the perfect time for Amorim with The future of Marcus Rashford A controversial topic for the club.
But it seems like not everyone is on the Diallo hype train.
Former Villa Aston striker Gabby Agbonlahor He believes that the Ivorian still has a lot to prove before starting to believe the hype.
“I see Bruno Fernandes as their only outstanding player, the rest are mediocre,” he said.
Co-host Shebahn Aherne responded: “Amad no. Amad is special.”
But Agboblahor replied: “He's not special. He's done well in recent weeks, but he's not special.”
Aherne responded: “You can see his performances and his energy. He doesn't even start every game. He is young and will be an exceptional player.”
But Agbonlahor did not back down and said: “He is a good player, he is not a top player.
“Maybe (he will become one), but at the moment, judging all these players, I would say (Man United) have a lot of mediocre players.”
Diallo was named substitute for the clash in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but it didn't take long for him to make his presence felt, scoring United's second goal after some high-level pressure on Spurs goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
Aherne told Agboblahor that Diallo should be considered a player to take United forward based on his impact off the bench against Tottenham on Thursday.
But the former forward's response left her visibly shocked.
“He did well when he came in, he wasn't a world champion,” Agbonlahor added.
“Yes, he blocked the goal, but he wasn't outstanding when he went in. He did some decent things.
“Maybe I come from a time when I was playing against the best players week after week. “Now I look at these players and they are average.”
Agbonlahor then took aim at Diallo's teammate, World Cup winner Lisandro Martínez, who was at fault for Tottenham's second goal scored by Dejan Kulusevski.
“Martínez back, I'm not going to allow it. Weak, poor and harassed by (Dominic) Solanke,” he continued.
“This season has been very poor. They discover him in set pieces and everyone talks about his height. He is always outmatched by the opposition.
“Against Tottenham it came at times. His movement, who clears a ball like that for Kulusevski's goal? Clear the ball correctly like a defender.”
Amorim now have three competitions to focus on in the hope of adding an early piece of silverware as they aim to qualify for next season's Champions League.
Reflecting on his team's elimination from the Carabao Cup, Amorim said: “We showed it in the last few games also when we were losing in difficult moments. We disconnected at the beginning of the second half, it was a hard moment for us, about ten minutes.
“And then we come back, I think we did a great job. I think if you look at the whole game, I think we were the better team, but they (Spurs) were more clinical. We lost the game, but the fight of the guys was really important for me.
“We can't think that way, that winning the silver medal makes everything okay. It will be a long road. We are improving as a team and our goal, I say the same after the game and before the game, our goal is to win the Premier League. How long is it going to take? “I don't know, but that's our goal.”
United will return to league business on Sunday when high-flying Bournemouth travel to Old Trafford.
A United win could see them overtake the sixth-place Cherries.