‘Just the start’ for ‘quality’ Man Utd star as two-time Prem winner follows Ten Hag with big praise

Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has joined Erik ten Hag in lauding Red Devils right-back Diogo Dalot, who is going from strength to strength.

Ten Hag has previously swapped between Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the right side of defence, with the former better at attacking but the latter more solid at defending. However, Dalot is emerging into a great all-round full-back, and this has seen him play a full 90 minutes in 26 of Man Utd’s 30 Premier League and Champions League games thus far.

Dalot has also demonstrated his versatility, having operated at left-back on occasion to cover for the likes of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.

Portugal international Dalot played at his usual right-back during the league clash against Aston Villa on Sunday. He was crucial to Man Utd picking up all three points on the road, putting in a fantastic cross to set up Scott McTominay for an 86th-minute goal as Ten Hag’s side won 2-1.

While Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks set to make sweeping changes at Old Trafford this summer, Dalot’s great performances mean he could remain an integral part of the Man Utd project going forward.

Saha, who won two Premier League titles during a four-and-a-half-year spell with Man Utd, has now heaped praise on Dalot, labelling him ‘quality’.

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“He will always have to prove it because there’s good competition for his spot,” Saha said during a recent interview (via the Manchester Evening News). “This season for me, he’s shown that he’s a quality player, especially going forward and he’s improving when it comes to his defensive duties.

“The potential is there, he’s playing for his country as well, and nowadays, there’s a lot of demands on players in his position and Diogo is helping his forwards find the confidence they need too.

‘Fantastic’ Diogo Dalot has impressed Ten Hag

“Against Aston Villa, he put in the kind of performance that can help the whole team improve and congratulations to him, but this is just the start for him because he has to restart next week and the week after. It will be tough, but that’s part of the challenge and I’m sure he’s looking forward to it.”

Following the victory over Villa, Ten Hag said of Dalot: “Everyone gets criticism but he is a fantastic player who is developing very well.

“He can play in so many positions and he is improving on crosses. He can score and his defending is improving so I am very pleased with him.”

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