In the aftermath of Manchester United’s morale-boosting 3-2 win over Newcastle at Old Trafford on Wednesday, Alejandro Garnacho responded under a post published on Instagram by a Red Devils team-mate and labelled him the club’s ‘player of the season’.
It wasn’t Bruno Fernandes he was talking about; Manchester United‘s modern-day Captain Marvel the driving force behind that Newcastle triumph.
He wasn’t responding to Kobbie Mainoo either, the teenager who has taken English football by storm. Nor Andre Onana, increasingly heroic in 2024 and responsible for keeping The Magpies at bay when United were under the cosh.
No, Garnacho was talking about Diogo Dalot.
Manchester United legend hails Diogo Dalot
Lining up at left-back against Newcastle, Dalot’s versatility came in very handy once again for Erik ten Hag’s injury-hit side.
And Patrice Evra, United’s best left-back since Dennis Irwin and arguably the best in the 21st century, does not go as far as to label Dalot the club’s Player of the Season. But he does believe the £19 million signing from FC Porto is the club’s Mr Consistent; delivering steady performances week in week out, sometimes with something a little spectacular thrown in for good measure.
“For me, Diogo Dalot is a player with great consistency,” Evra, a Champions League winner under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2008, tells O Jogo. “What I like most when I watch him play is the energy he puts on the field. He always wants to get up the pitch and never gives up.
“And that’s why, in my opinion, he has been Manchester United’s most consistent player this season.”
Dalot showed real signs of progress during Ten Hag’s first season in charge and has built on that in 2023/24, even as so many of his team-mates have struggled. Christian Eriksen feels Dalot is the best trainer in the United squad, and all those hours on the Carrington pitches have certainly paid of.
The Portugal international can still improve further with regards to his end product. But five assists is more than double his 2022/23 tally.
“Even in games where the team didn’t do so well, he always demonstrated his quality,” Evra adds. “He has incredible physical power and is not afraid to face (up against attackers) one-v-one or even in two-v-one situations. He always accepts the challenge.
“For me, these are the fundamental characteristics that a full-back should have. Furthermore, Diogo is a very good person and a humble boy.”
Dalot untouchable at Old Trafford
According to The Mirror, only ten players are ‘guaranteed’ to stay at Old Trafford this summer, Ineos planning big changes and a substantial clear-out. Dalot is reportedly one of the chosen few, alongside Onana, Fernandes, Mainoo and Garnacho, as well as Lisandro Martinez, Rasmus Hojlund, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and Willy Kambwala.
“Everyone gets criticism but he is a fantastic player who is developing very well,” Ten Hag smiled after that 2-1 Aston Villa win in February, Dalot setting up Scott McTominay’s late winner with a superb cross from the right.
“He can play in so many positions and he is improving on crosses. He can score and his defending is improving so I am very pleased with him.”