Diogo Dalot has firmly cemented himself as Erik ten Hag’s first choice right back this pre-season.
The player has started all four pre-season fixtures under Ten Hag, and has had a very important role to play in the manager’s new inverted full-back system.
One very very obvious part of Erik ten Hag’s training regime is the discipline he inserts into his sessions, with this being obvious during the Bangkok open training session, where players had to do press ups as a result of conceding a goal.
Speaking on this discipline, Diogo Dalot has explained why it is so important.
Advert
“It is discipline,” he said. “We need to be ready for that, to be ready to hear things that maybe we don’t want to hear, but I think everything is for the greater good of the team and that’s the most important thing.
The arrival of the Dutch manager certainly gives the impression of a wholesale reset of the club’s culture – and when combined with the changes made upstairs too, Dalot describes a “new energy” within Manchester United.
“I feel that we start from scratch - new manager, new stuff, new energy, new players coming in and we’re looking forward to play with them as well. We need to build a team, a staff, a club, everyone together and go forward.”
Diogo Dalot has not wasted a single second of his new chance at United.
Advert
Having a loan spell of mixed success at AC Milan, the player did not feature too heavily under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, although was given more faith under the interim spell of Ralf Rangnick.
.jpg)
“I feel like I’m a Man United player, but obviously I need to work every single day to play,” he explained.
“I want to be ready for the manager, for the club, and every time he needs me I’m going to be there.
Advert
“I need to show my qualities. This is why I came here, to show to this club I’m capable to play many games. This is what I want.
I think the things are going well, but we still have a lot of room for improvement.”
Before Ten Hag joined Manchester United, a lot of Dutch pundits spoke at length about the demand he puts on his players. Watching his Ajax side of old certainly backs this notion up, as they were one of the hardest working and most cohesive sides in Europe.
Speaking on training, Dalot describes, “It is demanding but at this club you want to play attacking football, you want to have fun, you want to enjoy playing in attacking positions.
Advert
“Obviously it will take demands physically but I think we are going to be ready for the season and hopefully we can start well.”
.jpg)
Proactivity is a key part of Ten Hag’s philosophy, with the manager noting on several occasions how important a proactive style of play is to being the best of the best.
“We need to be proactive, not just the full-backs - everyone. Read the game, be always on our toes. Mentally we have to be connected all the time and hopefully we can improve a little bit more as well when we go to the season.”
Advert
A hot topic of conversation during pre-season is Cristiano Ronaldo, with the latest reports suggesting that the player may be moving to Atletico Madrid, should the Spanish outfit get their finances available for the move,
“I think Cristiano is important for us,” Dalot said. “What we know is he is going through some family issues, we hope everything is ok and that’s how we do.”
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Diogo Dalot, Erik Ten Hag, Cristiano Ronaldo, Football