Manchester United is the perfect place for Mame Biram Diouf to develop into a star, according to Viking FK manager Age Hereide.
Hereide is a former Manchester City defender and was coach at FK Molde when a certain Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was maturing and learning his trade.
Heriede oversaw the sale of Solksjaer to United and feels that Sir Alex Ferguson has another potential star on his hands in Diouf.
“First and foremost there is no doubt in my mind that Mame has the potential to climb the ladder and he has the ability to survive and cut it on the Premier League stage,” Heriede told The Manchester Evening News.
“It doesn’t surprise me United have bought him because they have a great eye for a young player. United have done well again to see the potential in the guy.
“He is good raw material and there is no better place for him to be in terms of getting the chance to build on that and there is no better manager than Sir Alex Ferguson to bring out the best in him. There is more pressure on him now than when Ole Gunnar went to United. Solskjaer was an unknown and so the fans didn’t expect much of him.
“But because of him and the Molde connection the supporters might be anticipating something special from day one.
“Ole had a goalscoring capacity. It was his speciality and if you kick off with a goal then it makes headlines and fans take to you.
“Mame is a different forward to Solskjaer. United fans shouldn’t expect the new Ole. He is not a natural goalscorer so it will be harder for him.
“But he has terrific speed. The game is so different now to the 90s when Ole went to Old Trafford. It is quicker and Mame’s athleticism is great for the modern game.
“He’s scored goals in Norway but he’s going to have to work on that side of his game in England.”
Diouf was granted a work permit last month after his summer move from Molde. The 22-year-old made his debut in the draw at Birmingham City.
Hareide feels that the player’s work ethic will mean that he blossoms at United, just as Solskjaer did.
“Like Ole, Mame is a great character. He’s a lovely lad and has a great willingness to work hard. He will listen and learn,” added Age.
“You need to be strong in the head to compete at Manchester United because there are so many very good players at the club and there is a pressure to perform.
“But mentally that won’t bother Mame. He’ll get the best guidance in the world under Sir Alex and he will make good use of it because he wants to get better and is prepared to put the hours in.
“Diouf can create and make chances. He’s unselfish for a goalscorer and will work to help anyone on the pitch.
“The area he needs to work on is his finishing technique. Ole had great technique and he always knew that it was no use waiting for the next chance to come along, you had to do your best to convert the first one. He was clinical and that’s why he scored so many.
“Mame needs to become sharper and more selfish in the box. It is great creating chances but when you are a United striker it is no use creating many and scoring few. His goal output will need to be higher. He needs to build his reputation as a scorer.
“You cannot switch off or have a bad day in the red shirt because you will lose your place. I think that pressure and intensity will help his game.”
Zack Wilson, Goal.com UK
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