Michael Carrick has come to the defence of one Manchester United star who has been criticised for his form this season.
Manchester United have had a mixed campaign so far which has seen Michael Carrick replace Ruben Amorim as the club’s head coach.
The team’s goalscoring has improved since last season, with the Reds having scored 38 goals in 22 Premier League games so far. Only Manchester City and Arsenal have scored more times.
However, there have been major question marks over the team’s defensive record and the performance of several players throughout the team.
Diogo Dalot is one of the players who has been criticised throughout the campaign so far, with the right-back struggling for form.
Carrick defends ‘impressive’ United star despite criticism
Dalot played a solid game against City for the most part but there were two moments which became the talking points for the Portuguese international.
He was fortunate to avoid a red card against Jérémy Doku and then also wasted an opportunity on the break by overhitting a pass to Amad on the right flank.
Fans have become frustrated with Dalot but Carrick defended the player when asked about his form and explained why he was impressed with the fullback against City.
“I thought he played ever so well last week, I have to say,” Carrick told journalists of Dalot. “There was obviously the incident with the yellow card and that was probably after 10 minutes or so.
“To go one-to-one with the winger for the rest of the game and to manage that, and to defend as well as he did, it was very impressive, so I was delighted with him last week.
“I think it’s pretty obvious that there’s been ups and downs with performance, not individually but collectively so it’s not easy to find your rhythm and find your top form individually but Diogo, from what I’ve seen, I’ve known him for a while and seen him this week, he’s really focused.
“He’s desperate to do well and he loves playing for the club. You can see that. As I say, he played fantastically well last week, so there’s a lot for him to build on.”
What Dalot needs to do
Some of Dalot’s best moments against City came when he inverted into central areas. That is the kind of role the defender played when he was named Players’ Player of the Year in 2023/24.
The fullback is not the player you want creating or getting on the end of chances in the final third, that is clear, but he has previously shown that he can be a useful player when moving into those central zones.
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However, lapses in concentration have become the main weakness for Dalot, who makes simple mistakes too often. That is the main area he will need to improve if he wants to continue starting consistently.
But it appears that Carrick is backing the Portuguese defender through a tough spell and wants him to build on that display against City.
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