Luke Shaw was forced off injured in the first half of Manchester United’s 1-0 loss to Aston Villa.
He was replaced by Diogo Dalot, with more conventional left-back Alex Telles not on the bench.
Although the overall result was disappointing, some fans were pleased with what they saw from the Portugal international on the left of the United back four.
As per WhoScored, he made three headers – bettered by only Paul Pogba in a red shirt – and three clearances; only Harry Maguire made more.
Perhaps most tellingly, United got the ball to him more in under an hour on the field as they did to Cristiano Ronaldo in the whole game; 40 touches to 36.
Dalot also whipped in four crosses, but failed to create a chance on a frustrating afternoon for United.
He may well be set for another outing in midweek, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka suspended for the visit of Villarreal to Old Trafford.
Reaction
There weren’t too many good things to say about United this afternoon but here’s how Dalot’s performance went down…
- Cristian Romero’s signing replaces a priceless skill Man Utd will lose this summer, huge opportunity
- Man Utd consider two goalkeeper targets with Premier League experience, including Karl Darlow as a free agent
- Wayne Rooney claims Marcus Rashford was ‘one player’ to pull off his major Man Utd prediction, only to fall short
- Man Utd have a new £34m solution to Marcus Rashford’s future as Barcelona continue to stall
- Argentine press reveal ‘significant factor’ driving Man Utd’s chase for Cristian Romero
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
