Man United forward on Ipswich Town transfer radar following George Hirst setback | OneFootball

Ipswich Town were already on the hunt for a new forward in January, but their plans look like they are now set to accelerate following a serious injury to George Hirst.

Hirst, who has been impressive since signing permanently from Leicester City in the summer, scoring six times and notching six assists in the Championship this season, hobbled off in the first half of Town's Boxing Day clash with his former club at Portman Road, and he is expected to be sidelined for some time with a serious hamstring injury.

Kieran McKenna confirmed the news ahead of their Friday night clash with Queens Park Rangers, with Hirst set to undergo a scan next week to determine the actual severity, but it is now likely that the 24-year-old will be out for a long time.

The Tractor Boys were already on the hunt for a new striker anyway, with Birmingham City loan star Jay Stansfield linked with a switch from Fulham, but according to the Sunday Mirror's Sports Editor Darren Witcoop, a new target has emerged.

Man United attacker Diallo on Ipswich Town transfer radar

According to Witcoop, head coach Kieran McKenna has set his sights on Man United forward Amad Diallo, who spent last season on loan in the Championship with Sunderland and scored 13 times for the Black Cats in the second tier of English football.

And Football League World understands that McKenna is hoping to use his Old Trafford connections to his advantage, having spent several years on the coaching staff with the Red Devils at both youth and first-team level.

Diallo is yet to play for United this season after suffering a knee injury in pre-season, and there is a chance that Erik Ten Hag will sanction a loan move in January due to his lack of game-time and opportunities.

Ten Hag did say that Diallo could return to United's matchday squad this past week when they took on Aston Villa, but that did not happen for the Ivorian.

And with United out of European competition for the season and with no chance of a real fixture pile-up in the second half of the campaign, Diallo may now finally get the green light to head out on loan and get some game-time for the first time since May 2023.

Ipswich set to have competition for Diallo as Sunderland and Southampton interested

If Ipswich think that they are going to have a clear run at signing Diallo in January, then they are likely to be mistaken.

Southampton are one rival of Ipswich's in the Championship that are looking into a move for the 21-year-old in the January transfer window, according to Football Insider, although their attacking prowess is clearly just fine after they smashed five goals past Swansea City on Boxing Day.

Sunderland would also likely take Diallo back for the second half of the season in a heartbeat, especially as their strikers are yet to score a goal this season, and the Sunderland Echo have reported that the Black Cats would be interested.

Diallo though has been named in the Ivory Coast's preliminary squad for the African Cup of Nations, which begins in January, and if named in the full squad then he would likely be unavailable for any new club until the middle of February.

That would not be ideal for Ipswich if Diallo does head to the AFCON as McKenna would need a new attacker as soon as possible, but even if it were just for two-and-a-half months, the Ivorian would be a considerable coup..