Manchester United showcased their best and worst on Tuesday night when they defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 at Old Trafford in the Premier League. The first half was very poor by the club’s high standards and it is clear they are still a work in progress, but one player who has risen to the occasion in recent weeks has been defender Diogo Dalot.
While many will feel that Ralf Rangnick hasn’t improved much at Old Trafford, the Portuguese right-back has been a revelation considering no one expected him to become the team’s starting full-back on the right side of the pitch. He has seized the opportunity handed to him by his boss and the void left by inconsistent performances from Aaron Wan-Bissaka - who does not look like he will be returning to the starting lineup consistently.
Dalot has been strong on the right flank in defending, but he is growing in confidence with each passing game. He is not only driving the ball forward, he is making excellent well-timed runs and linking up well with the teammates in front of him. While his side struggled to get going in the opening 45 against Graham Potter’s men, he was the only player who had the urgency to press and challenge the opposition and get the Red Devils on the attack. Rangnick has clearly had a positive impact on the right-back and he will only get better as he plays more games and continues to start against strong opponents.
3 points and clean sheet ✅
Let's go reds ❤️
@ManUtd
It has taken just shy of four years but the Portuguese defender is starting to look like the prospect ex-United boss Jose Mourinho shelled out £19million for and while people will be wondering why it has taken so long, he is in fact still a young player. At 22 years of age, Dalot has years in abundance remaining of his career and it seems as though the consistent run of game he has been given, plus the right nurturing from Rangnick has acted as a catalyst to kick start his United career. When he was first brought in from the cold, it seemed that he was going to be playing temporarily until the Red Devils could invest in that position in the summer.
However, with his performances looking brighter and his confidence brimming, Dalot could be the long-term answer to the right side of United’s defence. United could look to bring in a more proven full-back in the summer to help the club achieve its ambition of winning major titles once again, but they could save millions by focusing their attention on the promising player they already have on their books. Dalot still has much to learn but his stats this campaign have been more than promising. He registers 4.14 progressive passes per 90 minutes played and 5.35 progressive carries and he is becoming a stronger threat pushing forward and Wan-Bissaka will find it very difficult to force his way back into the team.
The signs are there for Dalot to become a very important player for United and Rangnick has so far managed him brilliantly to bring out the player that arrived with a bright future in 2018.
