Alright, I’m going to be honest with you straight away because there is no point pretending otherwise. I know very little about this player. In fact, I had never even heard the name Yan Diomande until the moment he was linked with United.
I am not one of those self-appointed scout types who spend their evenings watching obscure leagues on questionable streams while claiming they have discovered the next global superstar before anyone else. My football viewing habits are far simpler. I watch United, I watch other Premier League matches, and occasionally I will tune into the bigger fixtures in the Champions League. Most other football does not really capture my attention, which inevitably means that players like Diomande appear from the shadows and I find myself playing catch-up.
I just needed to get that confession out of the way.
So in this post, for those of you who are in the same boat as me and had never heard of him before, we can all learn together about what is very obviously one of the greatest wingers of our generation.
Because of course he is.
That is how this works, isn’t it? The moment a player is linked to United he suddenly becomes the most exciting player on the planet and the missing piece that will solve every problem the club has ever had.
Naturally 😅.
Before we get into the details though, I think there are a few boxes every potential signing should tick.
First is personality and character.
Second is attitude and mentality.
Third is simple footballing quality. Does he actually improve the team?
And finally, perhaps the most important one of all, does he play in a position that United genuinely need to strengthen.
Other factors such as experience, leadership qualities, Premier League familiarity or even age are useful bonuses, but they are not necessarily essential.
With that said, let’s take a closer look.
Player Profile
Yan Diomande is an Ivorian international who currently plays for German side RB Leipzig. He is 19- years-old, stands at roughly 1.8 metres tall and primarily operates as a left-winger, although he is naturally right-footed which suggests he would play as an inverted winger cutting inside from the flank.
Already that combination is beginning to sound quite promising.
An exciting Ivorian winger? We have one of those.
From RB Leipzig? The last player we signed from there is currently one of the most in-form forwards in the league.
And a left-winger? Well, that just so happens to be a position United have been lacking for quite some time.
Interestingly, Diomande was even assisted by Amad during the most recent Africa Cup of Nations.
Due to his age he has not yet accumulated a massive amount of senior football, although his journey through the game has already taken him across several continents. He spent a couple of years developing in the United States before moving to Spain to join CD Leganés. From there he eventually made the move to Germany where he now finds himself at Leipzig.
This season he has featured in 27 matches, scoring 11 goals and providing 7 assists.
For a 19-year-old winger, that is not a bad return at all.
Play Style
Being right-footed but playing predominantly on the left means Diomande fits the mould of the modern inverted winger who likes to drive inside onto his stronger foot.
That however, is not necessarily ideal if you think back to how effective a natural left-footer such as Patrick Dorgu looked on the left flank earlier in the season. When you have a natural left-footed player in that role the crosses arrive quicker, the ball is delivered earlier and the opposition defence has far less time to reorganise itself.
With an inverted winger the game tends to slow slightly because the player wants to cut inside first.
That said, Diomande appears to have a number of encouraging traits. His positional play looks intelligent, his passing ability is solid, and by most statistical measures he has been a fairly consistent performer this season with Sofascore giving him an average rating of 7.78.
He attempts around 1.8 shots per match with a goal conversion rate of 24% which is respectable, though like most young attackers it is an area that could certainly improve over time.
What is particularly interesting is that despite being right-footed, 6 of his 10 league goals have actually come with his weaker left foot while 4 have been scored with his right. That suggests a level of versatility that many wingers simply do not possess.
In Leipzig’s recent victory over FC Augsburg he even operated on both flanks during the match and still managed to find the net.
This versatility is valuable because it means he can attack defenders in multiple ways.
He is capable of driving down the outside and delivering crosses, but he is equally comfortable drifting inside into central areas. While he does like to hug the touchline and maintain width, he also has the confidence to move into pockets between defenders.
Personally, I quite like that balance because it suggests he is not entirely dependent on his stronger foot. In modern football players really should be capable of using both feet to some degree and Diomande appears comfortable doing exactly that.
His heatmap also shows that despite being labelled as a left-winger he has actually spent a significant amount of time on the right flank for Leipzig this season, which again highlights that positional flexibility.
Technically, he looks quite impressive. Diomande displays very good close control with quick, almost twitchy feet and he clearly enjoys taking defenders on. One of his most common tricks involves using a sharp body feint followed by a quick touch to glide past an opponent, and when combined with his pace it allows him to create separation in tight areas.
As he is such a tricky dribbler, defenders tend to gravitate towards him which in turn opens space for his teammates elsewhere on the pitch. That is one of the reasons Leipzig players seem comfortable feeding him the ball regularly.
In the final third his decision-making appears reasonably mature for someone so young. He seems to understand when to shoot and when to release the ball, which is not always something you can say about some of United’s current attackers.
That said, there are moments where he does hold onto the ball slightly longer than necessary. Confidence is good and the willingness to take players on is valuable, but occasionally that extra touch can slow down attacks or cause promising opportunities to fade away.
Statistically his passing accuracy sits around 85% which is very solid for a winger. His crossing accuracy stands at roughly 20% which is not terrible but certainly leaves room for improvement. Considering United currently have a striker like Benjamin Šeško leading the line, you would ideally want a winger capable of consistently delivering quality balls into the box, although many of Diomande’s passes into the area tend to arrive along the ground rather than through the air.
Another interesting indicator of his importance to Leipzig is the amount of game time he receives. He has started 19 of their 24 matches this season, averaging around 72 minutes per appearance and earning a place in the Bundesliga Team of the Week on seven occasions.
For a nineteen-year-old that suggests he is already a key figure within the squad, which is encouraging.
By all accounts he also appears to be well-liked within the club environment by teammates, staff and supporters, which is always a positive sign when evaluating a young player’s character.
Look, most of this analysis is based on highlights available online, and as we all know highlights tend to show only the glamorous moments while quietly ignoring the mistakes.
It is very easy to look brilliant when someone else has already edited out the bad parts.
The statistics referenced here are sourced from Sofascore.
Final Thoughts
There is quite a lot to like about Diomande. The talent is obvious and the potential ceiling appears very high.
My main concern revolves around his age and experience. Players this young can be unpredictable because they have not yet endured the ups and downs that shape a footballer’s career. The Premier League is also notoriously demanding, and adapting to its intensity is never guaranteed.
On top of that, playing for a club like United brings a level of scrutiny and pressure that is significantly different from life at Leipzig.
From a stylistic perspective though, a quick and tricky winger with genuine output is exactly the sort of profile United need on the flank. Someone capable of stretching defences and creating chances could make a significant difference to the attack, particularly if players like Matheus Cunha are not consistently providing that spark.
According to Transfermarkt his current value sits around €45m (£39m) and is not an unreasonable price in today’s market.
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has also reported that United recently sent scouts to watch Leipzig’s match against Augsburg, which suggests there is genuine interest behind the scenes.
The problem is that United are far from the only club paying attention. Teams such as Liverpool., Chelsea, PSG, FC Bayern and Man City are all reportedly keeping an eye on him as well.
That is serious competition, and as United fans know all too well, competing for transfers against Europe’s elite is not always a comfortable experience.
On the other hand, the fact that so many top clubs are interested in him is usually a strong indication that the player possesses genuine quality.
And if nothing else, it certainly makes the situation far more interesting.
So, does he tick those boxes mentioned at the start?
In terms of personality and character, I haven't seen enough to say he's the right type of personality needed or not.
The same could be said of mentality and attitude.
But when it comes to quality and improving the team, he certainly does that. As a winger, we know we're in need of a natural one at United and given his abilities, he definitely displays the qualities needed to play out wide.
I've learned a decent amount about him from this player profile and I wouldn't mind seeing him at United. It is a risk with one so young but who's to say it can't work out?
Would you like to see Yan Diomande at United?
Yan Diomande is one of Man Utd's top targets for their left-wing position | Yan Diomande | Image credit: Getty Images via Goal