As per the Manchester United website, Diogo Dalot has his sights set on success at Old Trafford. After a strong season on loan with AC Milan, this definitely comes as no surprise. The Portuguese international was also a part of his country’s Euro 2020 squad, showing that the future is bright for the 22-year-old.
Diogo Dalot Targeting Break Out Year at Manchester United
Last Season With AC Milan
Dalot featured as Milan’s back-up right back behind Davide Calabria. Although this was the case, Dalot started the bulk of Europa League matches and also featured as a starting left-back on occasion. He actually faced up against Manchester United in the Europa League Round of 16, which resulted in a victory for the Red Devils. Despite that being the case, Dalot still put in solid performances against his parent club.
The Portuguese international holds a blend of both defensive and attacking prowess to his game. He’s decent in all respects defensively and should only get better against the top talent in the Premier League. At Milan he also scored two goals and had a knack for moving forward, due in large part to manager Stefano Pioli’s system. This will bode well in the attack-minded Premier League.
Pioli’s fullbacks have always been strong. Hernandez and Calabria have become major building blocks at Milan under his tutelage. Clearly he’s doing something right, and it’s safe to assume that Dalot improved and learned a lot under the Milan manager.
Milan are not what they used to be, but Dalot played with a good squad. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a football legend and leader, while Milan have plenty more talented players such as Theo Hernandez, Franck Kessie, and Ante Rebic. His experience was clearly a positive.
The Competition at Manchester United
Aaron Wan-Bissaka is the starter at Old Trafford, but that’s okay. Dalot excelled as a top substitute option last season. More than that, United have a squad capable of winning the Premier League and/or the Champions League. Sure, the last few years have been rough, but the team is talented on paper. Paul Pogba, Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane, and the list goes on.
Dalot will see plenty of time on the pitch, especially in club competitions. With United expected to compete in every single competition, tired legs will also open a pathway for the Portuguese international.
According to ESPN, Wan-Bissaka has also recently suffered an injury. Although it isn’t expected to be damaging, it perhaps opens a pathway for Dalot to start United’s first match of the season. A ten-out-of-ten performance by Dalot will likely still see him benched when Wan-Bissaka returns, but it may give Dalot the opportunity to finally showcase his talents to the United faithful. All in all, he is a terrific asset to have on board.
Manchester United play Everton in a friendly on Saturday, August 7. Their first game of the Premier League season is against Leeds United on Saturday, August 14. Expect to see Dalot feature in the friendly, and perhaps even in the season’s first match.
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