Diogo Dalot and Erik ten Hag have been at Manchester United long enough to know how quickly the mood can change.
Long-serving Portuguese Diogo Dalot has seen the highs of the early days of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the crushing lows of the Ralf Rangnick era, while experiencing the rollercoaster of a 2023/24 season which started with serious promise and ended in an FA Cup triumph with nine months of dejection sandwiched in between.
Now, the results do not exactly suggest that Manchester United are on the road back to the summit of English football.
Erik ten Hag’s Man United needed an ‘unbelievable’ Andre Onana to save them a point at Crystal Palace on Saturday. Stuck in eleventh place, the Red Devils have won just two of five Premier League games so far this season.
But, arguably, good performances are more sustainable – and more telling – than the odd lucky win against the run of play. And the performances show that Man United – in many areas – are a team much improved from last season.
Though, admittedly, that isn’t really saying much.
Diogo Dalot thinks Manchester United are changing under Erik ten Hag
To think, had Alejandro Garnacho not been denied a winner at Brighton by the most unfortunate of offside calls, had United put away one of their many chances against Crystal Palace, Ten Hag’s team would be battling it out with the early-season pacesetters.
Speaking ahead of Man United’s Europa League opener against FC Twente on Wednesday, full-back Dalot insists that the frustration of dropped points should not distract from the fact that this is very much a club on the up under Ineos.
A feel-good factor enveloping Carrington completely at odds with the toxicity of previous eras.
“I think we have some changes from last year,” Dalot says, explaining Ten Hag’s attempted shift towards a more ‘dominant’ style of play. “We want to be really high pressing. We want to be really dominant with and without the ball.
“I feel like (this is) a new team to be completely honest, compared to last year. You might see the players still being the same but it feels (like) something new. On the pitch, because we feel it as well, we feel we have to do something different.
“What we did last year was not even good enough to be at this club, we have to be honest. We were not at the level that this club should be.”
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Summer signings help change the mood at Man United
Thanks to an impressive summer window, the Red Devils now appear to have a squad far better suited to Ten Hag’s tactical demands.
Noussair Mazraoui is relishing his reunion with Matthijs de Ligt at Man United. Formerly team-mates at both Ajax and Bayern Munich, their qualities in possession make the duo a big upgrade on the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Victor Lindelof.
United are averaging 56 per cent possession this term, compared to 50 per cent last. Their tally of accurate passes per match has gone up massively to 475 from 393. They are also winning the ball back more in the final third while averaging more shots per 90 minutes.
Those final two statistics, of course, owe much to one Joshua Zirkzee. The forward who’s arrival gives Man United a new dimension in attack.
Holding the ball up, providing an outball, bringing his team-mates into play, creating chances a-plenty. Already, Zirkzee is showing why United’s £35m signing is allegedly the world’s best link-man.
The 13-time Premier League champions also still have Manuel Ugarte to come in, as well as Leny Yoro.
Arguably the marquee addition of the Ineos era so far, Yoro is stepping up his Man United recovery after breaking his foot in pre-season. The Frenchman is likely to return around November-time.
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