After a month of change at Manchester United, Diogo Dalot has come out stronger on the other side.
Manchester United’s decision to sack Ruben Amorim came as a shock to the players, evidenced by their performances in the two games during Darren Fletcher’s caretaker spell.
Michael Carrick subsequently took over until the end of the season, providing United with a sense of direction, and he has started out with three consecutive wins.
One of the early winners under Michael Carrick has been Diogo Dalot, who is enjoying a more simplified role in the flat back four system.
What are the biggest POSITIVES about Diogo Dalot’s game?
Diogo Dalot’s highs
Diogo Dalot was one of the players to feature in the highest numbers of games under Ruben Amorim between November 2024 and January 2026.
Dalot played a total of 54 games under Amorim, a number bettered only by his Portuguese colleague Bruno Fernandes (58).
Under Amorim, Dalot played as a wing-back and was frequently asked to fill-in on the left as well as the right. His versatility was admirable, but it also made his task trickier.
Now in a more straightforward right-back role, Dalot’s performances have benefited, highlighted by two statistics against Fulham.
- 47/49 passes: 96% Completion
- Final third passes: 11
For both statistics, this was a season best. United’s 3-2 victory over Fulham saw Dalot complete more passes than in any match this season, and more final third passes.
This highlights the flaws in Ruben Amorim’s system that Dalot was able to complete more passes in the final third during his role as full-back, opposed to as a wing-back.
Dalot is also benefitting from the settled United team around him, strengthening his connections with his teammates.
He has had the same two centre-backs to play alongside in all three games under Carrick, and he has had the same right-winger in front of him.
Dalot and Amad have worked well on the right, and while United won’t be happy to have conceded four goals in the last two games, the team has defended well for large periods of the past three games.
How many wins in a row will Michael Carrick make it now?
Three wins from three… it's a perfect start!
Competition for Dalot
There is added competition for Diogo Dalot with Noussair Mazraoui back from representing Morocco at AFCON.
Crucially for Dalot, Michael Carrick has resisted temptation to change him at the earliest possible opportunity and he has stuck by the defender.
Speaking ahead of the Arsenal game, Carrick told a press conference that he was very happy with how Dalot defended against City, and that criticism was misguided.
Mazraoui will get game time between now and the end of the season, but Dalot is doing everything he can right now to retain his place in the team.
Competition for places is good for United, and the return of Mazraoui may also have helped to help spur Dalot on to hit his own season highs.
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