The defender is now fulfilling the potential seen by the two icons and is shaping up to be a crucial part of his coach's Old Trafford project

When Ruben Amorim was named Manchester United coach and fans began to learn about his feted 3-4-3 formation, they quickly started playing Football Manager in their heads, tossing and turning over which players would best fit into the new coach’s system. Of particular interest was who would occupy the positions of wing-back, a role rarely seen at United. And of all the candidates for the position, Diogo Dalot stood out more than anyone else.

Amorim has already tried four players in the role in his two games in charge of the Red Devils and Dalot seems to have locked down his place. The Portugal international completed 90 minutes as the left wing-back in the coach’s first game at Ipswich Town and put himself about with authority, winning all four of his ground duels and having one shot on target.

He was on the bench for Amorim’s home bow against Bodo/Glimt after the coach hinted he would rotate the squad but was soon called into action. After a worrying first half for Tyrell Malacia in his first senior game for 18 months, the former Sporting CP boss quickly turned to Dalot to help get United out of a potential mess. The Portuguese’s arrival plugged the gaping hole in United’s left side and within five minutes the team were back in front as Rasmus Hojlund got his second goal of the night. The move came from the right but United’s best plays were down the left, where Dalot was shuttling up and down, feeding Alejandro Garnacho when he was not guarding the defence.

Getty Images SportWing-back in his youth

Dalot’s aptitude for playing wing-back should be no surprise as he spent a whole season playing there for Porto’s B team. And according to former youth coach Antonio Fohla, Dalot is perfectly equipped for operating effectively in that position. "Now he has the right qualities and abilities to play inside and outside and the inherent physical abilities to play the whole wing perfectly," Folha tells GOAL.

"He interpreted very well what the game type asked of him, either more out wide or more inside depending on the player playing in front of him. For example, if it was Galeno (the Brazilian forward still at Porto), he would play more inside and Galeno would guarantee width, and if it was Fede Varela (the Argentine forward), he'd play more on the outside near the line."

Folha, who worked with Dalot at Porto between 2015 and 2018, first in the under-19 team and then with the B team, played the defender all over the pitch, giving him the tools to become the all-action player he is today. He adds: "In the under-19s, he always played as a centre-back. Playing as a back four, on one occasion or another he played as a winger in a game where it was necessary to defend the wing better because he was from a younger generation and there was another full-back in his position. Then in the B team, in a 3-4-3 formation, he played on the wing, either on the right or the left."

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'Different mentality'

The words "very powerful" immediately came to mind when Amorim was asked about Dalot after the Bodo/Glimt game, and Folha was also highly impressed with his physical attributes when he was working with him. "He always had a great physical advantage over the rest of his team-mates," he said. "Then offensively, he had a lot of explosiveness and an ability to reach the final third of the pitch and create a lot of danger."

Dalot’s mental fortitude also stood out to Folha. He added: "If I were to choose just one aspect, it would be his mentality, combined with the will he showed to do the right things to achieve his goals. I can give you an example: one day, when he arrived at the training centre after a midweek game, it was late, the whole team had left because they had training the next day and he was the only one who stayed at the facilities to do recovery treatment in the pool and cryotherapy.

"That was already a strong indicator that he had a different mentality from his team-mates. It was already the right focus and attitude to reach a high level. Maybe it's no coincidence that he and Cristiano Ronaldo get on so well, certainly because they have a similar mentality for achieving excellence."

GettyAn 'example' for Ronaldo

Ronaldo did indeed get on with Dalot. During Ronaldo's infamous interview with Piers Morgan, in which he railed against the lack of standards at the club he had returned to, he singled Dalot out as an exception, a star for the future. He said: "If you ask me what I see at Manchester United, I would probably mention Diogo Dalot. He is an example, he is young but very professional and I do not doubt that he will have a long career in football. He is young, intelligent, and very professional."

And when Dalot was showing his best form of last season in February, Rio Ferdinand recalled a conversation he had had with Ronaldo. "Dalot needs a special mention," Ferdinand said. "He's someone I doubted early, I spoke to Cristiano and said 'Is he really going to be good?', and he said: 'Rio he works, he works hard, he'll make himself better, he'll improve'. He's obviously seen that behind the scenes. I spoke to Darren Fletcher, I said he's really impressed me, he was saying 'listen, he's a worker, he is going to make himself the player he needs to be.'"

Dalot, who was in the Estadio Dragao as a child when Ronaldo scored his incredible goal for United against Porto in the Champions League in 2009, has always looked up to the forward. "Cristiano is the most influential person I've ever had in football," he told this year. "On and off the pitch. I consider him a friend, yet it sounds surreal because he was my idol, my reference, for years. I first met him properly at Euro 2020 and any time I spend with him makes me feel richer in terms of knowledge. I can draw from his vast experience, talent and wisdom."

GettyEndorsed by Mourinho

Ronaldo is not the only legendary Portuguese figure to have taken to Dalot. Jose Mourinho brought him to Old Trafford in 2018 for £19m ($24m) when the full-back was 19 years old and had only seven senior appearances to his name with Porto. And he quickly gave his new signing a ringing endorsement, calling him "the best full-back in Europe in his age group".

The two Portuguese ex-pats did not have a long working relationship, though, as Mourinho was sacked four months into the season. It is fair to say that Dalot did not instantly fulfill the prophecy as he struggled with injuries and in his second season he had to contend with new £50m ($63m) signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka. He went out on loan to AC Milan in 2020 to get more first-team experience but little by little he has realised the potential Mourinho saw.

Dalot grew into a key figure under Erik ten Hag, usurping Wan-Bissaka in the starting line-up and signing a bumper five-year contract in 2023. Last season was his best for United, getting a career-best eight goal contributions as well as being named the club’s player of the year by his fellow team-mates.

Folha says: "I understand why Mourinho said that. He arrived very early, very young, managed to pass through the stages of his development very quickly, always in a precocious way, and that led him to reach the Porto first team early, to arrive at Manchester United early, to perform well in Italy at a young age in a league that is always difficult. He really does have a great mentality and mental, physical and technical qualities that make him one of the best in the world in that position. I think he's been showing that for a while, since his time at Milan, at Manchester, he's someone who has shown a lot of regularity in his performances at Manchester, even though the club has been going through an unstable phase."