The Manchester United winger Amad Diallo has said he “does not regret” making an obscene gesture to fans in Kuala Lumpur, claiming they had insulted his mother.
After United’s 1-0 friendly defeat by Asean All-Stars on Wednesday, footage emerged on social media of Amad putting his middle finger up to fans outside the team hotel.
“I have respect for people but not for the one who insults my mom,” the 22-year-old wrote on social media. “I shouldn’t have reacted like that but I don’t regret what I did. We had a great time in Malaysia with good people.”
The club told the BBC that the gesture was in response to “serious personal abuse” the Ivorian had suffered. It was another unwanted distraction for the Manchester United manager, Ruben Amorim, who is preparing his team to face Hong Kong’s representative side .
Speaking to media in Hong Kong before the friendly, Amorim admitted he was ready to “turn the page” after a dismal season which saw United finish 15th in the table and lose the Europa League final to Tottenham.
“We’ve had the season that we had and it’s not easy to face the fans around the world, so it’s a moment that is hard for us and we want to finish the season,” Amorim said. “But at the same time we want to give something to the fans. We are travelling, we don’t have time to adapt, we don’t have so much time to have contact with the fans.
“If there is one thing that is really important in this club, it’s that we need to face our fans in this moment and give something to our fans around the world. We want to give something to the fans, but it’s hard in this moment. We just want to turn the page and improve next season.”
Amorim claimed his team of first-teamers and youngsters was “not really focused” in Wednesday’s defeat in Malaysia, and that he could understand fans venting their anger. “I understand the fans [booing],” he said.
With heavy rain lashing the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium on the eve of the game, Amorim is again expected to heavily rotate his squad. “If we are professional and we focus on the game it is the best way to protect our players from injuries,” the 40-year-old said.
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Three senior players – Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot and André Onana – have flown to a supporter engagement event in India so are unavailable, while the left-back Luke Shaw is injured.
“I will try to divide [the squad] because I don’t want all the young kids all together,” Amorim said. “We want to be competitive. If they are fit, they will play, and we will have the maximum respect for everybody here and for our fans.”
