Diogo Dalot is enjoying a run of decent performances after what has been a challenging season for him so far at Manchester United.
Against West Ham United last week, the Portuguese scored his first home league goal since joining the club seven-and-a-half years ago. He celebrated in front of fans and family in the Stretford End by making a ‘C’ sign in honour of his youngest daughter Clara and wife Claudia.
That 58th-minute goal, coming after he sneaked forward unmarked to roll the ball in, should have been a winner, but it was overshadowed by a poor result as West Ham equalised.
After playing well at Crystal Palace in the match before West Ham, Dalot got an assist at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday and could have scored after seven minutes when he was put clean through on goal — not that he will be judged by goals and assists. Ten of Dalot’s offensive actions in the past three games led to shots — and that does not include his long throws, which are increasingly important.
The three good games came after Dalot had been criticised online more than at any time in his United career. While some of that has been valid, he also became a scapegoat for fans who always need one and a new target was required after several of the previous targets left the club.
The fact is that Dalot, whose best position is as a right-back, is being played as a left wing-back. He is doing what his coach asks of him without complaint. He is not downing tools, agitating, briefing against his manager or being disruptive in the dressing room. He is doing the best he can.
“I think when we see a very good game from Diogo, he manages to show he has quality,” head coach Ruben Amorim said in his press conference before the West Ham game last week. “He is very strong; he manages to show he is good at set pieces and we need to understand that in this league he is very important. He can play on both sides. He is a very important player for us.”
But there are legitimate questions around Dalot and his role in the team. Fans would not be so critical if they were convinced by him.
“I’ve never understood why a right-footed player is played on the left-hand side when you’ve got Patrick Dorgu, who is naturally left-footed,” former Premier League defender Danny Higginbotham tells The Athletic. “It’s true that the best United left-back I’ve ever seen, Denis Irwin, was right-footed, but when I played I hated being moved one position across to the right — it’s the little things that can catch you out, what shoulder you turn off, the foot you take off on.
“Then again, Amorim could think, ‘If we’ve got a left wing-back who is right-footed but also a left-back (Luke Shaw) in the back three, then we can invert the wing-back and create the space for Shaw to get into down the side’.
“Dalot’s tendency is to go inside, but if you do that you are potentially dragging a player into an area where Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo, Mason Mount or Amad Diallo might be and you end up too narrow. Because so many teams play with inverted wingers and No 10s, the only width comes from your full-backs or wing-backs. So if Dalot keeps his width, he then must cross with what isn’t his favoured foot or you have to cut back and kill the momentum. So I’d argue that if you play Dalot then you play him as the right wing-back.”
His versatility means he could play more on the right when United’s right side of Amad, Noussair Mazraoui and Mbeumo soon disappear to play in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Dalot seldom goes online but he has had a sense of what has been said about him. Dalot is a deep thinker, a perfectionist, a model professional. One source at United told The Athletic: “I would be happy to call him my son. He’s an extremely bright guy, part of the player leadership group, which tells you what we think about him. He really cares about this club. He’s an amazing team player. And we’ve had players in our dressing room who have not been amazing team players. You have to have a blend; we can’t have all the same characters. He’s a robust individual who gives his maximum in every game.”
Diogo Dalot scores for Manchester United against West Ham United (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
United have no plans to sell him but do not think there would be a shortage of suitors. In fact, the club are of the opinion he would be one of their most in-demand players, partly because he is consistent, picks up few cards and because of the attributes listed above. In the past four seasons Dalot has played 42, 50 and 53 games for United and was named player of the year in 2023-24. He will not make 50 games this season as United are not in Europe and went out of the Carabao Cup against Grimsby Town, after which Dalot was the one who fronted up to the press. It was a good job he was not on social media after that.
United also feel he is a confidence player, someone who needs the support of fans. He is playing out of position in an inconsistent team going through a rebuild. He needs confidence. He is physically closest to the fans and hears them clearly due to his position on the pitch, but United supporters at games have been good to him. They have not got on his case when he has made mistakes, such as a poor early touch when he came on at Tottenham Hotspur last month.
In a recent conversation with the United fanzine Red News, Dalot said: “I’m not looking for everybody to look at me as the best right-back that played for Manchester United. I want them to look at me and say, ‘OK, this guy, every time he wears the shirt, he was representing the standards. Sometimes he will make mistakes. Sometimes he will play amazing games. I will try and be as consistent as I can but one thing I will keep doing every day is putting too much expectations on myself. My conscience is clear; I am doing everything for the club. Sometimes you might not like 100 per cent as I am a football player, but I will give everything for you as a fan.”
Dalot could be accused in his search for perfection of overthinking to a fault, but there have been players at United who simply have not cared enough about the club — and some were hailed as heroes. Dalot, like the team, has had a bumpy start to this season, but it is considerably better than last term. United have 25 points after 15 games, six more than at the same stage 12 months ago.
The team concede too many goals (22 so far compared with 18 a year ago) and Dalot must take a share of that blame, but they are scoring more (26 compared with 19) and he has been a contributing factor to that, too. The league season will pass its halfway point later this month and while United’s form is changeable, it is improved and there is plenty of time to go.
