Jose Mourinho was full of praise for Diogo Dalot after the youngster’s first Premier League start for Manchester United against Arsenal, which ended in a 2-2 draw with Dalot being a bright spark for a much-changed lineup.
The young Portuguese was one of the three signings, along with Fred and Lee Grant, made by Jose Mourinho during the summer transfer window for a fee of £19 million from Porto.
Featuring in just his fourth appearance of the season, he was selected ahead of club captain Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young, who was unable due to suspension.
United battled to a 2-2 draw against Arsenal with both Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard equalising just after Shkodran Mustafi’s goal and Marcos Rojo’s own goal respectively. And Mourinho was pleased with what he saw from the 19-year-old with the Portuguese hinting he could be set for an extended run in the team as a result.
“The kid Diogo, fantastic,” he said afterwards. “I think Gary Neville must be thinking now that Manchester United has a right-back for 10 years.”
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Diogo Dalot will again be in the contention for a starting place when United host Fulham at Old Trafford on Saturday.
After United’s topsy-turvy draw against Arsenal, in which the 19 year old was one of the bright sparks, he looks set for a long future at the club. United saw a better output from the right wing-back position this time because of the the young Portuguese, as he was always there running and making those wide runs and whipping dangerous crosses, whenever possible.
He was also good defensively as Kolasinac caused him all sorts of problems throughout the 90 minutes, but Diogo Dalot was doing his bit of keeping him at bay for most of the time.
Diogo Dalot was compared to United great Gary Neville afterwards by Jose Mourinho, which is a big claim, but the youngster’s performance justified manager’s comments. Dalot showed experience beyond his years throughout the ninty minutes.
Of course, the youngster needs some time to reach the heights he has been tipped for at Old Trafford, having played only eight games for Porto before his move to England.
There is great potential in him, no doubt about it.
Whether Mourinho can help Diogo Dalot fulfil that potential remains to be seen…
