Man Utd 2-0 PAOK: Amad Diallo motivated by time on the bench, says Ruud van Nistelrooy

Interim coach Ruud van Nistelrooy believes an extended spell on the bench acted as motivation for Manchester United's two-goal Europa League hero Amad Diallo.

Amad had been named as a substitute in six consecutive games before starting against Greek club PAOK at Old Trafford.

In Van Nistelrooy's words, the 22-year-old replied that he was “our best player in the first half” before “winning us the game in the second half”.

When asked if being substituted so often was a motivating factor, Van Nistelrooy replied: “Apparently.”

The Ivory Coast international was by far United's biggest threat against a limited number of opponents – he was willing to attack the PAOK defense and did so even if he wasn't immediately rewarded.

Van Nistelrooy accepted a first half in which United made “a lot of technical errors” and a shot on goal was “not good”, but Amad made the difference after the break.

“The second goal had everything that is Diallo,” said Van Nistelrooy. “He struggled to win the ball from the defender, then pushed through to take the shot and had the quality to bend it around the goalkeeper.

“He is a great character and a hard worker. He shows this attitude in every training session. Every day he comes to me and wants to do additional finishing, crossing and one-on-one drills. He asks me how I can improve his hitting and heading.

“He is constantly focused on learning and getting better. He is motivated to get the most out of his career.”

Amad's current contract expires next June, but United have the option to extend it for another year.

Next week he'll have a new boss to impress: Ruben Amorim will take over.

Van Nistelrooy said he had to “check his phone” to see if he had received a message from the Portuguese, although for now he seems happy that both parties are focusing on their current clubs.

“I think Ruben is focused on (Sporting at) Braga and I’m focused on Leicester (in the Premier League on Sunday),” he said.