Rijo Sam Daniel
AS Roma give up their pursuit of Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot
According to the Italian publication Il Tempo (h/t The Mirror), AS Roma have given up their pursuit of the Manchester United right-back Diogo Dalot. The full-back has been handed a lifeline at Old Trafford following the arrival of Ralf Rangnick.
The 22-year-old was one of Jose Mourinho’s final signings during his time with the Red Devils in 2018. The full-back joined the club from Porto for a fee of £19million but has struggled to get minutes under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The lack of opportunities saw him linked with a move to Italy with AS Roma.
Dalot went out on loan to AC Milan in the previous season as Aaron Wan-Bissaka found favour as the first choice right-back under Solskjaer. He did impress in his time at Milan but failed to earn game time when he subsequently returned to the Manchester club. With the Norwegian not in charge anymore, Dalot has started twice in succession against Arsenal and Crystal Palace in the league and has put in a solid performance both times out.
It has seen the Italian club back off with their interest since they believe a move in the January transfer window is impossible due to the new break Dalot has been given at the Theatre of Dreams. It could be the chance that the Portuguese international was waiting for since his move to Man United.
A breakthrough?
The Portugal right-back has shown more promise than Wan-Bissaka in the attacking phase, which has resulted in the former enjoying success in his recent outings. The latter would start the game later today against Young Boys in the Champions League, where he would have to perform to regain the spot.
But if this is a sign of things to come, the former Porto man could gain more prominence under Ralf Rangnick. While he had some decent defensive moments in both games, the Englishman is still better in that aspect. However, improvements are achievable through regular game time through which the Portugal defender should take note of.
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If Dalot continues on this trajectory, the chances that Man United would sell him will become lower and lower. The Seria A club may have seen that coming ahead of the winter transfer window, which has prompted them to cool down their interest.
The current circumstance at the right-back spot would increase competition and thus ask the fullback duo to outperform each other when they get their chances. It would eventually help the team, unlike under Ole when there was one guaranteed starter.
