Portugal star Diogo Dalot wants to repay the faith Erik ten Hag has shown in him at Manchester United
Manchester United and Portugal star Diogo Dalot wants to repay the faith Erik ten Hag has shown in him this season. The right-back has been a pivotal member of the Dutch manager’s starting lineup since at the Old Trafford side.
In the current campaign, the 23-year-old has started the majority of the games for the Red Devils. The defender is ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka in Ten Hag’s pecking order.
Speaking on the club’s official website (h/t Manchester Evening News), Dalot has expressed his appreciation for the former Ajax head coach.
“The confidence that he’s given to me shows the work I’ve been doing as well. I’ve been trying to give it back to him, the confidence that he’s been giving me since the beginning of the season.”
The Portuguese star is the first choice at the Manchester-based club this season. However, that was not always the case. In previous years, the defender had struggled to break into the team.
The 23-year-old signed for United in the summer of 2018 from FC Porto. In his debut campaign, the right-back was a backup player under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
However, with the arrival of Wan-Bissaka, the Norwegian manager did not seem to count on Dalot. The Portuguese subsequently went out on loan to AC Milan in the summer of 2020.
After returning to the club, the 23-year-old still could not make his place in Ole’s plans as the former Crystal Palace star continued to be counted on at right-back.
The turning point came when the Norwegian head coach departed last year and was replaced by Ralf Rangnick. The former interim head coach gave the former Porto star more opportunities.
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Since then, Dalot has performed well and cemented his place in the squad. Many fans feel the Portuguese is United’s most improved player since the previous campaign. Hopefully, fatigue will not be an issue for the 23-year-old after the World Cup with Portugal.
