Ruben Amorim has secured the future of one of the key players in his plans at Manchester United, with Amad Diallo agreeing a new five-and-a-half year deal at Old Trafford.

In a season when United have been discussed as relegation candidates, the 22-year-old has been a shining light for Amorim, despite his future being uncertain following loans at Glasgow Rangers and Sunderland during his career at the club.

While every player has a price at United as they balance annual losses with Premier League and Uefa’s profitability and sustainability rules, Amad is clearly seen as a player central to the long-term hopes of the new regime under Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Having completed loans away from the club, he was hampered by a knee injury last season and was in the final year of his contract before new terms were agreed. United held a one-year extension option but have agreed a long-term deal instead.

“I am really proud to have signed this new contract,” Amad said. “I have had some incredible moments with this club already but there is so much more to come. I have huge ambitions in the game and I want to achieve history at Manchester United.

“I have learnt so much since arriving here four years ago; I am very grateful to the coaches and staff who have helped me to develop, and to the fans for driving me forward every day.

“It has been a difficult season for everyone, but I fully believe that we are on the right path and the future is going to be really special. I am ready to give everything to help the team and make our supporters proud again.”

Regardless of what the future holds, Amad has already secured hero status with United fans after turning the Manchester derby around last month and his late equaliser against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

He has slipped into Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 system by playing as a wing-back or a forward on the right flank. Around the club’s Carrington HQ he is known as a joker in the squad, with a huge smile on his face regardless of the narrative around United’s season. “I am one of the lads with energy and joke with everyone, with a smile every time,” he said.

Amad has a remarkable upbringing, with his journey to the Premier League starting in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, from where he was trafficked to Italy.

It is well documented that he was brought to Europe with false papers stating that Italian residents Hamed Mamadou Traorè and Marina Edwige Carine Teher – not his father and mother – were actually his parents. It allowed him to play for Boca Barco in the colours of Diego Maradona’s old club, then got him scouted for Atalanta.

Incredibly, the Italian authorities fined Amad himself for what they describe in their punishment as “fictitious parents”. Bournemouth’s Hamed Traorè was said to be Amad’s “brother” in the plot and both have come to English football and had loans away from parent clubs to get their first-team careers started.

There are parallels with the career of Geovany Quenda, 17, who was given a chance by Amorim at Sporting Lisbon and has taken the Portuguese top flight by storm, breaking records along the way. Like Amad, he was a forward but converted to right wing-back.

United technical director Jason Wilcox said: “Everyone is delighted with Amad’s development. His quality on the ball, versatility and determination makes him a key part of the future of Manchester United. The best years of his career are ahead of him, and we all look forward to helping Amad to reach his immense potential and achieve success at the club in the coming seasons.”