Erik ten Hag might finally have had the last laugh after the former Manchester United manager’s stance on Diogo Dalot and another key first-team player.
Diogo Dalot became an important player for Erik ten Hag during the 55-year-old Dutchman’s reign at Old Trafford after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in 2021.
Diogo Dalot scored his first goal for Man Utd since 2024 – Was Amorim wrong to take him off?
“It’s an instant kill on his first touch. He still has a lot to do. A brilliant moment for him and a great finish.”
Gary Neville on Diogo Dalot’s goal
The 26-year-old Portuguese right-back had fallen down the pecking order under United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who preferred Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right-back.
Ten Hag was the exact opposite of former United manager Solskjaer, as Aaron Wan-Bissaka was sold to West Ham and Dalot established himself in the starting XI.
Dalot impressed during his time under the ex-Ajax and United head coach, including scooping the Premier League club’s Players’ Player of the Year award in 2024.
Diogo Dalot showed in Man Utd’s performance against West Ham why Erik ten Hag valued him so much
Ruben Amorim, much like Erik ten Hag, has been a firm advocate of Diogo Dalot, despite wanting to see more from the Manchester United right-back on the pitch.
Dalot has been forced to adapt to the demands of Amorim’s tactical system, including playing as a right wing-back and as an inverted wing-back at times.
Ruben Amorim was forced to shuffle his defensive line-up in United’s 1-1 Premier League draw against West Ham after injuries to Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt.
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Ayden Heaven came in for a rare start in the three-man backline and Luke Shaw played on the left side and Dalot was stationed on the right side in the starting XI.
Amorim has been on Dalot’s case in recent weeks about what he wants to see in a wing-back in his set-up and defender Patrick Dorgu has not escaped criticism either.
However, the Portugal international delivered in United’s encounter with West Ham, with Dalot finding himself in the right place at the right time to score the opener.
Erik ten Hag’s admiration for Diogo Dalot was the complete opposite with Man Utd midfielder Manuel Ugarte
Manuel Ugarte arrived at Old Trafford during the reign of Ten Hag and the signing of the 24-year-old Uruguayan midfielder marked the end of Scott McTominay’s spell.
Ten Hag was a big fan of Scott McTominay and did not want to sell the United youth academy product, who was shipped off to Napoli in 2024 in a £25.7m transfer deal.
McTominay has been going from strength to strength under Antonio Conte at Napoli, while Ten Hag’s scepticism with Manuel Ugarte is becoming more and more apparent.
What is your MESSAGE to Ruben Amorim after the 1-1 draw vs West Ham?
“We had good moments and we lost a little bit of control after the goal. We should have closed the game when we scored the first one.”
Ruben Amorim
Ten Hag would overlook Ugarte several times during the tail end of his Old Trafford reign before he was sacked as United boss in the 2024-25 Premier League season.
What makes things worse for Ugarte is that he played under Ruben Amorim at Sporting CP and not even the United manager rates him enough to start him.
United fans were far from impressed with Ugarte against West Ham when he came on in the 1-1 draw and his struggles at Old Trafford only prove Ten Hag was right.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/e9xXrZy