Diogo Dalot was Manchester United’s second highest profile summer signing but injury forced him to wait until Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Southampton to make his Premier League debut.
United boss Jose Mourinho has seemingly been unable to decide on his first-choice right back, but the Portuguese starlet, who cost a reported £19m in June from Porto, must now kick on and make the role his own.
Mourinho’s muddled thinking
United have many issues under Jose Mourinho but one of the biggest is that the manager appears to have no idea what his best team is.
That chopping and changing is neatly illustrated by the Portuguese’s recent selections at right-back; he has fielded three different options in United’s last three starting elevens.
Matteo Darmian was called in from the cold against Crystal Palace, Antonio Valencia took the reigns against Young Boys but Ashley Young got the nod at St Mary’s.
Three different options, none of whom are Mourinho’s big-money summer solution to a long-standing problem. It doesn’t make much sense, but it has at least presented Dalot with an opportunity.
Kicking on
Dalot has now appeared for United in both the Champions League and the Premier League and will hope to put together a run of games at right-back, like Luke Shaw has mustered on the other side.
Mourinho’s defensive merry-go-round underlines that he is not fully impressed with any of his current options at present, which gives Dalot the chance to muscle in and become first choice if he can adapt to the demands of playing for such a huge club, as well as adjusting to life in England, both on and off the pitch.
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