Diogo Dalot Is Everything And More For Manchester United This Season Under Erik Ten Hag

Not many Manchester United fans would have expected Diogo Dalot to become one of Erik Ten Hag’s most improved and important players at the beginning of the season.

Dalot, 23, spent the whole of last season at AC Milan, learning the Italian art of defending under the tutelage of manager Stefano Pioli and technical director Paolo Maldini.

The Portugal international appeared surplus to requirements under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, after making a positive start to his Manchester United career when José Mourinho signed him for £20 million in 2018 from FC Porto.

Solskjaer, instead, signed Crystal Palace’s right back at the time for £50 million and wanted a more ‘English’ crux in defence going forward. While Aaron Wan-Bissaka showed promise, he was always lacking in the offensive part of his game where he continued to struggle.

As form deteriorated for Solskjaer’s Manchester United, so did Wan-Bissaka’s confidence output. With Dalot shining in Milan in Europe and domestically, it was important for the new manager to trust in him when coming into pre-season. There was a time, however, where the Red Devils’ management were open to listening to offers for the right back.

However, since Ten Hag has steered the ship, Dalot has been nothing short of exemplary. A leader in the way he plays, his performance against West Ham United was one of the best of his career. Dalot took responsibility for his own actions and the team’s, and made four crucial back post headers against physical opponents.

The Portugal international has come on leaps and bounds over the past 12 months and Ten Hag is seeing Dalot grow with every game. Not only is his defensive positioning and awareness improving tenfold, his attacking output is becoming more consistent.

With the way the modern game is now played, full backs are crucial to any team’s possession and attacking prowess. Dalot appears to accept the pressure and makes himself widely available, whether that is on the overlap or coming inside and acting as another midfielder – similar to what compatriot Joao Cancelo does at Manchester City.

Manchester United’s defensive unity is clearly growing with each passing game, as it was on show once again with the clean sheet recorded. As the final whistle blew, Dalot ran to his teammates and embraced them. There have been seldom times where fans have seen such camaraderie among teammates, but Ten Hag appears to be changing the tide in his favour.

Mourinho has been proven right with his comments to say that Manchester United have a right back for the next decade, as well as Dalot being the best right back in world football for his age group.

While the Red Devils will be in the January market looking for an understudy to ease the workload off Dalot in a busy season, it is clear that he will be Ten Hag’s first choice for the foreseeable future.