Sheffield United concede they face un uphill struggle to land summer target

The Manchester United youngster was one of Slavisa Jokanovic’s leading targets last summer, after identifying a lack of width within Bramall Lane’s first team squad as a weakness which needed addressing to enhance its promotion prospects.

As The Star reported earlier this week, Jokanovic would still like to recruit a winger when the market reopens despite seeing Morgan Gibbs-White, on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, make a flying start to his career in South Yorkshire.

But the path to Diallo’s signature now appears to have become increasingly complicated with Dutch giants Feyenoord thought to be monitoring his situation at Old Trafford. Atalanta, the club where the Ivory Coast international made his name before heading to England, have also kept a watching brief on events in the North-West.

With Cristiano Ronaldo recently rejoining Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, Diallo, now recovered from the injury which prompted officials in Rotterdam to abort their move for him before the August deadline, seems unlikely to command a regular place in the Norwegian’s starting eleven and could be allowed to depart on a temporary basis.

But if Solskjaer does grant Diallo permission to leave, United privately concede they would face an uphill struggle to convince the 19-year-old to join a Championship club.

Although Gibbs-White has helped transform Jokanovic’s team following his arrival from Molineux, the Serb still wants to add a genuine wideman to United’s roster in order to give them greater tactical flexbility.