Ex-Liverpool and Sunderland man hoping £22m Manchester United loanee will toughen up

The youngster, who joined Manchester United for around £22million, is now on loan with Sunderland in the Championship but has failed to make much of an impact so far on Wearside.

The 20-year-old has started only one league game so far this campaign but has largely been limited to a spot on the bench under head coach Tony Mowbray.

“First of all, he's a fantastic player who has a lot of skill and pace. I think the fact that Antony has come in and done well on that right-hand side for Manchester United doesn't help,” Babb said to OLBG’s website.

“It's the position Amad Diallo wants to be in where he can chop in on his left foot. But I can't stress how important he has to grasp this loan move.

“He's going to be playing in a wet and windy winter where he'll be coming to some horrible places in the Championship on a Tuesday night. But it will toughen him up because it's a tough playground; he will learn quicker and improve his final product.

“I've heard Tony Mowbray talk about him, the sky is the limit for this talent, but he has to find a way of producing whether that's goals or assists. He has to have that end product as well as the flicks and tricks.

“I think that's what is missing from him, but he'll learn a lot and come the end of the season he will have bulked up and realised how difficult it is to play English football regardless of the level.”

Babb also mulled over Sunderland’s return to the Championship after last season’s play-off promotion and how his former club is getting on so far this campaign.

“I think it's always high expectations at Sunderland, even from when I was playing there,” Babb said. “We have some good players in the Premier League with the likes of Niall Quinn, Kevin Phillips and Claudio Reyna.

“The fans are a demanding lot and I mean that in the nicest way. It's a big club, big stadium and a big fan base so the expectations are high.

“We're only at the start of the season and it's not looking too bad, but in these leagues, there are a lot of games. It takes a good run of six or seven and your season starts to look completely different.

“We've seen Steve Bruce was another casualty the other day and it shows how tough it can be if you can't go on a run. Boards want results very quickly and fans expect good performances.

“Managers need time and big clubs like Sunderland need to cut the cloth accordingly when other teams around them have got deeper pockets and better players.

“I think just managing expectation is the most important thing for Sunderland right now. I can't say I see anything going wrong so far, they just need a bit of time because they'll be back one day.”