Aheed Abrar
Mikael Silvestre feels Diogo Dalot has cemented his place in the Manchester United starting lineup
Former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre believes Diogo Dalot has cemented his place in the starting lineup of the Old Trafford side. The ex-Red Devil has been impressed with the progress the Portuguese has made over the years.
The 23-year-old signed for the Manchester-based club in the summer of 2018 from FC Porto. However, it took the right-back some time to make his mark at the club.
Dalot has made an impact this season under Erik ten Hag. Speaking to bettingexpert (h/t Manchester Evening News), Silvestre, who spent nine years at United, feels the Portuguese has improved defensively.
“Diogo has been improving in his defending but from the time he joined United I thought that was the weaker side of his game. Offensively he’s very good, which is the case for most modern full backs.
“He was given a chance and has done really well at United as he didn’t have much game time at the start of his United career. He’s made that position his.”
The 23-year-old was signed during Jose Mourinho’s time in the Old Trafford dugout. However, with the arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the former Porto star saw his game time dwindle.
In the summer of 2019, the Red Devils signed Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace. Under the Norwegian manager, the 25-year-old was the first name on the team sheet.
Subsequently, Dalot went on loan to AC Milan for the 2020/21 campaign after hardly getting to feature for United. He had a decent spell with the Rossoneri before returning to Manchester.
At the beginning of last season, the 23-year-old was once again a bit-part player. However, with Ole’s departure, the Portuguese star’s fortunes at the club changed.
Former interim head coach Ralf Rangnick opted to give Dalot a chance. Since then, the 23-year-old has been a mainstay in the team, more so under Erik ten Hag. On the other hand, Wan-Bissaka has fallen down the pecking order and seems to not be in the plans of the Dutch manager.
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Therefore, while the former Porto star’s performances have been encouraging, he cannot be expected to start every game for the rest of the campaign. Hopefully, we are able to find a solution for the England U21 international and get a new backup for the right-hand side of the defence.
