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Diogo Dalot’s Rise From Manchester United Reject To POTS

Diogo Dalot joined Manchester United from FC Porto in 2018. He was signed by the Red Devils when the club was managed by Jose Mourinho. They paid £19 Million to get the right-back from FC Porto to Manchester United. Dalot was just 19 years old when the club decided to sign him. This was a very controversial move as many fans wanted the club to sign someone with experience rather than someone unproven, but Jose Mourinho was absolutely sure about Dalot’s capabilities.

While speaking about Diogo Dalot after he completed his move to Manchester United, Mourinho said:

“Diogo is an extremely talented young defender with all the qualities to quickly become a great player for this club. He has all the attributes that a full-back needs: physicality, tactical intelligence and technical quality, combined with a Porto academy mentality, which prepares players for the maturity they need at the professional level. In his age group, he is the best full-back in Europe, and we all believe he has a bright future ahead of him at Manchester United.”

“Everyone can see the potential and everyone could see he’s a 19-year-old player who has more than ten years to play for Manchester United. “His first match last season was big, a Portuguese derby – Porto v Sporting – and then three days later, he played against Liverpool in the Champions League too. He’s a strong personality and has almost 100 caps at youth levels for the Portuguese national teams. It’s a very good opportunity for him.”

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Diogo Dalot’s Tough Start To Life At Manchester United

Credit: Goal

Diogo Dalot did not have the best of starts at Manchester United despite the manager thinking very highly of him. While Dalot proved to be incredibly gifted at advancing up the field and delivering pinpoint crosses into the box, he seemed to be lacking in one of the biggest attributes a defender needs, defending. Questions regarding his positioning, spatial awareness, and other defensive attributes started being asked.

The defender was sent out on loan to AC Milan in 2020, and it looked like it would be nearly impossible for Diogo Dalot to find his way back into Manchester United’s first team. However, the right-back was far from done. He had an exceptional season with AC Milan and returned to Manchester United ready to fight for a place in the starting XI.

Diogo Dalot’s Comeback

Gotta give credit where it’s due, Diogo Dalot has really stepped up this season pic.twitter.com/ha6LwhI2Hs

— tones (@utdtones) February 13, 2024

Diogo Dalot had fallen out of favour at the club even before his transfer to AC Milan. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was the preferred right-back thanks to his defensive abilities. In complete contrast to Dalot, while Wan-Bissaka is one of the best players to have in defensive situations, his attacking output was almost zero. While he is primarily a defender, attacking attributes like crossing and overlapping are a must for a modern full-back.

It seemed like the position would eventually come down to whichever player could improve the aspect of their game in which they weren’t exceptionally skilled. While Wan-Bissaka has improved his attacking play, Digo Dalot is the clear winner in this battle. Ever since returning from his loan to AC Milan, he has looked much more assured defensively. The player has slowly but surely been getting better and better, and his improvement is very clear to see, especially in the 2023-24 season.

Although Dalot was branded as a ‘reject’ by Manchester United fans, he is arguably their player of the season this year. In a season where many players in the squad have struggled with injuries and the team as a whole has been unable to find form, Dalot has provided some stability at the back. He has been fit for the entire season, leading the team from the back. He has made the right-back role his own, providing assists and making overlapping runs, as well as tracking back and making some extremely crucial tackles.

While Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been injured for quite some time throughout the season, it is safe to say that Diogo Dalot has made the right-back spot his own, and now it is up to Wan-Bissaka to try to displace him. Erik Ten Hag will be very happy to have two young right-backs providing good competition to each other and will hope that this healthy competition among teammates only pushes both of them to become even better.

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