MN: From January Ligue 2 debut to Milan starter – Diawara repays Amorim’s faith

Sankhoun Diawara was a surprise inclusion in the starting line-up against Udinese, but he repaid the faith of head coach Ruben Amorim.

As MilanNews recall, Amorim has consistently changed the starting XI in his first 11 games as the manager, often making surprising decisions. The latest came yesterday in Udine, where the Portuguese coach started Sankhoun Diawara in defence.

Before yesterday, the 20-year-old player had only played 33 minutes in the Europa League in the games against Red Bull Salzburg and Bournemouth, so the decision did raise some eyebrows.

Positive signs

The young Frenchman responded well and did not look out of place despite his inexperience. There were obviously a few mistakes which were par for the course, but none were big and his performance was even praised post-match by Amorim.

“I’m very happy for him. It’s my responsibility when I throw an inexperienced player into the mix. Diawara is an option for the season,” the coach said. The opportunity did come largely due to Mario Gila and Matteo Gabbia being out, but Diawara proved he can be useful to the cause this season.

Playing every three days, Amorim needs as many players as possible to rely on, and the young Frenchman is now among them. Yesterday’s good performance was far from a given for several reasons, too, despite the obvious talent that convinced Milan to invest in him.

According to FotMob, Diawara completed 50/58 of his passes, had 82 touches, 2 tackles, 3 clearances, 2 headed clearances, 1 interception, 4 recoveries, 4/7 ground duels won and drew 1 foul.

Making your first start after a heavy defeat like the one in Bournemouth is not easy, nor is playing a role – that of left-back – which perhaps wouldn’t be his natural one. Moreover, Diawara had only made his Ligue 2 debut in January with Troyes. Ten months later, he’s starting for the Rossoneri.