Jose Mourinho did not exactly have the Manchester United career he would’ve dreamed for.
Saying that, to this very day, he is still the most successful Manchester United manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
The charismatic Portuguese tactician got a lot wrong during his time at the helm of the Red Devils and has definitely gotten a lot wrong since in future ventures.
But one thing he got spot on at Manchester United has definitely recently come to light.
Jose Mourinho spot on about Diogo Dalot
Flashback to 2018, after impressing in his first two Premier League starts, Diogo Dalot was tipped to have a seriously bright future at Manchester United by Mourinho.
Dalot produced a Man of the Match performance at Old Trafford against Fulham in December 2018 in his debut season for the Red Devils – which Mourinho praised highly post-match:
“Everybody knows that he has fantastic potential,” Jose told club media.
“I don’t want to compare, especially not the number of titles but he is probably the same age as Gary Neville when he came into the first team.
“Probably he can follow Neville in this dynamic of more than 10 years as United’s right-back, with amazing conditions to improve, because as I was saying he’s 19 years old.”
“It’s important not to forget that, not to demand from him super consistency because he is a kid. He’s just arrived in the Premier League and arrived after four or five matches in the Portuguese league – no more than that.
“We are very happy,” Jose affirmed. “Now it’s December, normally he is going to get more opportunities to play, to get experience and to be what we thought when we bought him, which is he can be Manchester United’s right-back for 10 years.”
Diogo Dalot proving he can solidify the right-back slot
Particularly under Erik ten Hag this season – Dalot has all but solidified the fact he’s one of the first names on the team sheet.
The right-back is a candidate for the Player of the Season Award around Carrington and will be a regular for the Red Devils for years to come even with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s clearout imminent.
Well played, Jose. You saw into the future for this one.