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Rob DawsonCorrespondent
Jose Mourinho erstwhile hailed erstwhile Manchester United goalkeeper Joel Pereira, present playing successful the Netherlands with RKC Waalwijk, arsenic "the champion Portuguese goalkeeper of the adjacent generation" truthful helium doesn't ever get it right, but the manager tin spend himself a grin astatine what Diogo Dalot is doing astatine Old Trafford this season.
Mourinho was successful complaint erstwhile Man United paid FC Porto £19 cardinal to motion Dalot successful 2018 and, connected the time helium arrived, labelled the 19-year-old arsenic "the champion full-back successful Europe successful his property group." It seemed a singular tag for a subordinate who had lone made 7 elder appearances for Porto and determination person been times implicit the past 4 years erstwhile Mourinho's appraisal has seemed mode disconnected the mark.
But astir 3 months into this season, Dalot is 1 of lone 2 players -- on with goalkeeper David de Gea -- to person started each 1 of Erik 10 Hag's 15 games successful charge. In the Premier League this season, nary United subordinate has had much touches of the shot than Dalot (769), portion lone Lisandro Martinez (500) and Bruno Fernandes (412) person made much completed passes than his 401.
Ask United fans which players person helped Ten Hag crook things astir and they are apt to speech astir Martinez, Raphael Varane oregon Christian Eriksen. Dalot, though, should beryllium up determination too.
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It wasn't truthful agelong agone that helium was loaned to Milan with then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer -- who oversaw the £50m signing of right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace conscionable a twelvemonth aft Dalot arrived -- suggesting helium needed much crippled clip than helium could connection astatine Old Trafford.
Dalot was truthful keen to marque the astir of his clip successful Italy that helium occasionally slept astatine the grooming crushed to guarantee helium had entree to betterment equipment. Injuries person been an contented successful the past -- helium was constricted to conscionable 11 appearances during this 2nd play successful England -- though astir of the problems were enactment down to increasing pains. But helium has worked hard to enactment arsenic acceptable arsenic imaginable and hasn't had a important wounded for much than 2 years.
Solskjaer remained successful regular interaction during Dalot's clip successful Milan and erstwhile the Serie A broadside tried to motion him permanently successful the summertime of 2021, their involvement was knocked back. Solskjaer was ever an admirer of Dalot's quality arsenic an attacking full-back but had doubts astir his reliability defensively. The Norwegian noticed an betterment pursuing his instrumentality from San Siro, thing Dalot enactment down to the power of Italian football.
"If I'm a amended defender I beryllium it to Milan," helium said. "Italian shot is antithetic from the Premier League and I had to accommodate successful conscionable 1 twelvemonth and playing successful Serie A has helped maine a lot."
So acold this season, lone Casemiro (25) has made much tackles successful a United garment than Dalot (20); lone Martinez (46) and Varane (39) person made much clearances than his 21. Only Fernandes (111) has won much duals than Dalot's 91.
Ten Hag has benefitted from Dalot being much definite of his antiaircraft duties but has besides pushed him to clasp his earthy attacking instincts, thing that has seen him usurp Wan-Bissaka, who tin beryllium constricted going forward, successful the archetypal XI. Ten Hag has besides asked Dalot to go an auxiliary cardinal midfielder during antithetic phases of the game, allowing him to spot much of the ball.
"He likes violative full-backs," Dalot said of the erstwhile Ajax boss. "He likes proactive full-backs, truthful we person to ever deliberation a small spot up of what the crippled is asking, not beryllium similar feeling the crippled erstwhile the shot is connected the different side."
Dalot made definite helium was acceptable to impressment Ten Hag during preseason by utilizing portion of his summertime vacation successful Portugal to enactment with a idiosyncratic trainer, physio and a nutritionist. A batch of the enactment centred astir improving his agility and velocity and, truthful far, it's paying disconnected -- Dalot has clocked the 3rd fastest sprint successful the Premier League this play down Darwin Nunez and Gabriel Martinelli.
In 2018, Mourinho was definite United had recovered a gem erstwhile they signed Dalot. After conscionable 1 game, helium was talking astir the nine uncovering a right-back for "the adjacent 10 years" adding: "He has each the attributes that a full-back needs; physicality, tactical quality and method prime combined with a Porto academy mentality which prepares players for the maturity they request astatine the nonrecreational level."
It has taken a portion for Dalot to deed the heights predicted of him erstwhile helium was a teen but, present 23, Ten Hag is reaping the benefits. So excessively are Portugal, who bushed the Czech Republic 4-0 during the past planetary interruption thanks, successful part, to Dalot's archetypal 2 planetary goals.
After cementing his spot arsenic United's first-choice right-back, helium is acceptable to spell to the World Cup adjacent period to situation for a spot successful Fernando Santos' squad alongside teammates Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernandes. Somewhere Mourinho volition beryllium watching on, nary uncertainty making a enactment that helium was close each along.
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