Diogo Dalot’s absence from Portugal squad vs Sweden clarified

Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot was not included in the Portugal squad to face up against Sweden on Thursday evening.

Dalot, 25, has been one of the standout performers for United this term. In an inconsistent environment, the right-back has managed to provide a stable option across the season in an everchanging defensive unit.

The defender has made 38 appearances for Erik ten Hag’s side so far this season, scoring two goals and registering three assists.

His position at Old Trafford has improved over the last year, and the same can be said about his standing with his country, Portugal.

Dalot played 90 minutes in six of Portugal’s 10 qualifying fixtures for Euro 2024, which saw Roberto Martínez’s team win all games – conceding in only one of the matches.

However, the 25-year-old’s absence from the Portugal squad raised some eyebrows on Thursday evening.

Why Dalot was not in the Portugal squad

Thankfully, the decision was not down to injury but simply that Dalot was among a group of players in a bloated squad that were dropped for this fixture. All of them will be available for their next game against Slovenia on March 26.

Martínez named a preliminary 32-man squad for the fixtures across this international break. That was cut down to 24 players for the fixture on Thursday evening.

Dalot was among a group of players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, who were left out of the Sweden tie but will likely feature against Slovenia.

Dalot: I’m in the form of my life

The United right-back will certainly be keen to showcase his ability on the international stage as soon as possible.

“I’m not gonna lie; it’s probably the best moment in my career individually,” he told reporters after last week’s 4-3 win against Liverpool.

“I know that, I worked for that. But that gives me more responsibility because I want to keep this level; I don’t want to drop.”