Full-back prodigy facing uncertain future at Manchester United

Diogo Dalot – A tricky period ahead for the Portuguese talent

Considered as the biggest young talent emerging from Portugal since Cristiano Ronaldo. Diogo Dalot caught the eyes with an assured performance at left-back for Porto against Liverpool, facing a flying Mohamed Salah in an intimidating Anfield atmosphere.

Then Manchester United manager grasped the chance to sign the full-back prodigy, despite nursing a long-term injury. In June 2018, Manchester United struck a deal worth £19.3m with FC Porto after triggering the player’s release clause.

"Diogo is an extremely talented young defender with all the qualities to quickly become a great player for this club. He has all the attributes that a full-back needs In his age group, he is the best full-back in Europe and we all believe he has a bright future ahead of him at Manchester United. – Jose Mourinho on Diogo Dalot (via B/R)."

Having watched numerous clips of Dalot whipping delicious crosses from wide areas, Manchester United were eager to see another Portuguese sensation elevate the spirits at the “Theatre of Dreams”.

Destined to be a long-term replacement for Antonio Valencia, Diogo Dalot struggled to garner consistent playing time due to incessant injury concerns. The Porto academy graduate showed glimpses of his talent but failed to resonate with physical requirements of the Premier League.

The major alarm bells rang when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer invested again on a full-back, Aaron Wan-Bissaka. It was as evident that United’s current management had their doubts whether the Portugal youth international had it in him to make the cut at Old Trafford.

Giving the benefit of the doubt, Solskjaer entrusted Dalot to elevate his performances in the presence of another talented peer. And that happened in the pre-season when both full-backs were neck and neck in terms of their output.

But, once again, Dalot suffered a setback as a hip injury sidelined the 20-year-old for the foreseeable period and, in the process, Aaron Wan-Bissaka made the position his own.