In the last six months or so, a lot of talk has been made about the opinions of former Manchester United players within the media.
Manchester United are the most widely talked-about football club in the world. From the days of Sir Alex Ferguson’s dominance to the last decade of drama and turmoil, there is never a dull moment at Old Trafford.
However, with the growing space of football media becoming an all-encompassing machine in its own right, there has been heavy criticism of the way United’s stars of old handle speaking about the club and players.
It has been noted on many occasions that the criticism has often become personal. One example includes Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt joking about Lisandro Martínez’s height when facing Erling Haaland, without acknowledging that the United defender often plays well against the Norwegian.
Another has been Roy Keane’s relentless tirade against United boss Michael Carrick. From snide comments about his wife to blasting his right to be the club’s head coach, the criticism has felt one-sided and unbalanced.
Dalot dispels Keane’s criticisms of coaching staff
Keane didn’t stop there, though. When Carrick came in, he also blasted the appointments of Carrick’s staff members, Jonny Evans, Steve Holland, and Jonathan Woodgate, claiming they have no credentials to be at United.
However, Diogo Dalot, who has actually been working with the coaching staff and Carrick, had nothing but praise for the trio, particularly highlighting the impact former England assistant Holland has had at Carrington.
“I’m really, really impressed with them. I think the experience that they brought, they came with the right approach,” the right-back told United’s Inside Carrington Podcast.
“I mean, Steve was in this position a lot of times during his coaching career, so he knew what to say. He knew the right energy to pass to the players. So I think the club, and Michael, did really well to bring them in.”
Knowing Carrick has helped settle in, says Dalot
Dalot is also one of only a few players who were at United when Carrick was last coaching at the club, serving as Jose Mourinho’s and Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s assistant, as well as caretaker manager, between July 2018 and December 2021.
Expanding, the 26-year-old explained that Carrick’s knowledge of the club prior to rejoining as head coach has helped him settle in quickly, as well as getting his message across to the squad.
“It does help knowing what you’re going to get because, sometimes, you don’t know what you’re going to expect. But knowing Michael from before, I knew, straight away, that a person would come that is calm and it gives you good energy every time.
“It’s always balanced. And playing two difficult games that I’m sure he knows really well, how it is to win against those teams, I think he knew, straight away, what to say to us, what kind of approach to have with us.
“I think, in my case, it would help [to know him] because I already expected what was coming from him, although we had a couple of years apart. But, for others, obviously having someone that already knows the club, that already knows what you have to feel in these moments, it was helpful.”
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