Amad drops Man United injury update hint as Ruben Amorim makes shock return date prediction

All the latest Manchester United news as Ruben Amorim gears up for a difficult end to the season

Amad has uploaded a cryptic post to social media ahead of his return from injury. The 22-year-old winger suffered an ankle problem in training ahead of Manchester United's clash against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this year.

The club announced that Amad, who was enjoying a great vein of form at the time, would be out for 'a number of weeks'. The Ivory Coast international later said that he would need to spend 'some time' on the sidelines.

In an official statement, Amad wrote: "Extremely disappointed to be writing this message in such a crucial time of the season. Unfortunately, I will be out for some time with an injury. I will come back stronger than ever!! Time to support the boys from the outside. Still loads to play for."

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the Premier League tie against Spurs in February, Amorim went one step further and confirmed the club's worst fears. When asked if Amad would miss the rest of the season, the United boss said: "I think so. Sometimes things happen, and seasons where everything happens at the same time."

Then, in April, Amorim provided a promising update. Ahead of the Manchester derby, the Portuguese tactician said: "He’s doing quite well. We hope to have him before the season is finished. We'll see, but he's anxious to play, so we are waiting for him."

Amad has been out of action for a while now, but he could make a return sooner rather than later. On Thursday afternoon, the Ivorian uploaded a cryptic post to his Instagram story, suggesting that he's making good progress.

He posted a picture of himself, alongside Alejandro Garnacho, giving supporters the thumbs up. The photo was taken at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in December when United played Spurs in the Carabao Cup quarterfinal.

Amad scored and assisted in the 4-3 defeat to Ange Postecoglou's side, continuing his excellent vein of form in front of goal. From November to December, the winger featured 16 times across all competitions for United, scoring four goals and providing seven assists.

In January, he was rewarded with a new long-term contract, extending his stay at Old Trafford until June 2030. Upon putting pen to paper, Amorim challenged Amad to relish the 'bigger responsibility' on his shoulders.

"That is really clear," the United boss told the club website. "And we are going to be more demanding with Amad. He knows what we want to expect from him. Now he has a bigger responsibility because he has a long contract with a big club, so we're going to be really demanding with him."

Taking his manager's advice on board, Amad scored three goals in 12-minutes against Southampton a few days later. In doing so, he became the first United player since Cristiano Ronaldo in April 2022 to score a hat-trick.

"I will tell tomorrow he has to rest, eat good food, prepare for Sunday, we need him again," said Amorim in his post-match press conference. "He did a great job, is a great moment for a young kid to score a hat-trick for a club like this.

"But he needs to focus on the next match – this is already in the past – and prepare for the next game. The important thing is to win and he helped us, he is doing a very good season and that’s it. I already spoke about this.

"We have to be careful with the young kids. Was a really good job today. He has a lot to improve. So congratulations to him, to all the team, enjoy tonight and he needs to appreciate these moments but tomorrow we are going to recover and prepare for the next game."