Diogo Dalot has explained a trick that Cristiano Ronaldo taught him that he’s using to help one of his Manchester United teammates.
Manchester United have endured a turbulent campaign, with Ruben Amorim departing and Michael Carrick stepping into the managerial role.
Results have picked up in recent weeks, reigniting their push for a Champions League place, though their hopes of domestic silverware have already ended following exits from both cup competitions.
Diogo Dalot has remained a constant presence throughout the upheaval, starting 21 of the club’s 25 Premier League matches so far. Under Amorim, he was often deployed as a left wing-back in a preferred 3-4-2-1 system, despite being naturally right-sided.
Since Carrick’s arrival, however, Dalot has been restored to his usual right-back role, a switch that has coincided with a noticeable upturn in his performances after a difficult spell earlier in the season.
Dalot explains brilliant Ronaldo trick that’s helping ‘very good’ Man Utd teammate
Another player who has impressed since Carrick’s arrival is Benjamin Šeško, who scored a last-minute winner and equaliser against Fulham and West Ham respectively. The striker also bagged a brace against Burnley under Darren Fletcher last month.
Šeško joined the club in the summer for a big fee and quickly found a strong relationship with Dalot away from the pitch. The young striker has the exact same work ethic as the Portuguese defender.
Dalot has been speaking to Rio Ferdinand about Šeško and explained what he has been telling the striker, and it is something he learned from his time being with Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I was lucky to have a great connection with Ben from the start. I looked at him and saw a lot of myself when I was 20, 21 years old,” explained Dalot.
“He’s the kind of person who will try to do everything in his power, off the pitch, to be ready. Physically, mentally, everything you can imagine.
“What I try to tell him is: ‘OK, you know what’s going to happen here? You’re going to score a goal and they’re going to say you’re going to be the best striker. You’re going to be the next big thing. And when that happens, I need you to be the same guy the next day. And the day after that.
“Cristiano came to me one day and said, ‘Listen, what I’m doing with you now, one day you’ll do with another player. That’s why I’m doing it.’ And with Ben, it was natural. I have a very good relationship with him. I spend a lot of time with him.”
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Šeško is experiencing exactly what Dalot says
Dalot’s advice will certainly be aiding Šeško, who is already finding out about the difficulties he mentioned.
Before Carrick’s arrival, there were constant critics and questions over his ability and he has since hit a run of form that has led to major praise.
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The criticism will come again for Šeško once he misses some chances but it seems like he is prepared for that situation and has the right mentality to overcome it.
It is good to see Dalot taking a leadership role and helping Šeško away from the pitch and hopefully the young striker continues to benefit from it.
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