Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot delivered a fine performance during the 3-0 Premier League win over West Ham United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Portuguese star has been one of the club’s most consistent defenders this season and he was very impressive during the recent victory over the Hammers.
Dalot had 73 touches and completed 52 out of his 58 passes – an accuracy of 90 per cent. He successfully completed eight out of his nine long balls – a success rate of 89 per cent.
Playing from an inverted right-back role, the 24-year-old was caught out of position on a few occasions, but he made up for it with a vital block to deny Jarrod Bowen from scoring.
The former Porto graduate saved the blushes of Harry Maguire by blocking Bowen’s shot which could have brought the Hammers back into the game (2-0 at the time).
Dalot has been Ten Hag’s preferred right-back ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka due to his better attacking attributes, but he has also improved with the defensive side of his game.
He has been better with his concentration and positioning, and is currently above Wan-Bissaka in the pecking order. Only time will tell whether he can be the long-term solution.
Meanwhile, United’s win over the Hammers has reduced the gap to the top four to eight points. The deficit could be brought down further during next Sunday’s game at Aston Villa.
Villa are currently fourth in the league standings. If United manage to do the double over the Midlands outfit, they could become genuine contenders for Champions League football.
It is a make-or-break game for them as a defeat would increase the gap to 11 points.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
