Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot has opened up about the gruelling schedule he has had to face over the past year.
The past 12 months have been a unique one, with the 2022 World Cup being held in the winter, Manchester United’s Diogo Dalot was involved with his national team.
After his good start to Erik ten Hag’s first season, the former FC Porto defender was called up for the competition and featured heavily.
The Portuguese defender featured 3 times and even usurped Manchester City man Joao Cancelo, who is now at Barcelona.
‘Physically and mentally exhausted’
The defender has played a lot of football over the past year, which can be great for fans but for the players, it can be tough.
“Last year, we’ve experienced something we’ve hardly ever experienced, because we had a World Cup in the middle of the season and we had a very dense schedule,” said Dalot.
“On a personal level, I feel it was a gruelling season, exhausting physically and mentally. These are always things that are beyond our control.
“As the ‘artists’, we should have a say and I believe that if we get together, and with the right people, we can find a way to reconcile the two.”
United’s tough schedule
In the midst of a winter World Cup, United won the Carabao Cup, reached the quarter-final of the Europa League and the final of the FA Cup, the Red Devils played 62 games in all competitions.
Due to United doing well, there were often times Ten Hag’s side would play two times a week and that carried on throughout the second half of the season.
Well, now the effects are seemingly being felt. Raphael Varane, United’s French defender, posted a message on X condemning the amount of games that have to be played and labelled the situation as ‘dangerous’.
Dalot agrees with this assessment.
“For the good of football, that’s what should happen (discussion with FA). We have to be in the best physical condition to put on a show for the fans,” the 24-year-old said.
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