Following a turbulent start under Michael Carrick, the long-serving defender demands total sacrifice and tactical discipline to restore the Red Devils to their former title-winning glory.
Manchester United have had a mixed start to the new Premier League season so far. After a disappointing loss to Hull in the opening game of the season, the Red Devils bounced back with a triumphant 5-2 win over Ipswich Town.
However, Michael Carrick's side faced disappointment once again after a bitter 2-2 draw against Everton thanks to a 96th-minute equaliser from Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
United have the chance to bounce back as the club returns to the Champions League for the first time since 2023 as the club takes on Azerbaijani side Sabah at Old Trafford.
The Azerbaijani Champions won the title for the first time in their history last season, after being formed as a club in 2017.
Dalot raises the standard for the club
While life after Sir Alex Ferguson has been far from smooth sailing with the club rarely challenging for the Premier League, Manchester United have been largely successful in the cups.
However, despite winning the FA Cup in 2024, the period from 2023 to January 2025 has arguably been the toughest in the club's modern history. After losing the Europa League final in 2025 and finishing 14th. It felt as though the standards could not drop any lower.
Since the return of Carrick to United as manager, the club has been, on paper, one of the best teams in England. Last season, no team won more points in the League in the period since his return than Manchester United.
A key part of the squad at that time was Diogo Dalot. In the three losses under Michael Carrick, Dalot did not start in any of them, showing how much United misses his presence. While this does not tell the whole picture of the context of those losses, it cannot be doubted how important his leadership is, with him being one of the longest-serving players in the current squad.
Speaking in an interview with DAZN Portugal, he spoke about challenging his teammates to raise the standard this year.
He said (quotes via Sport Witness): “Every player has to make that self-assessment and understand what they need to sacrifice this year to get to May and still be competing for every trophy.
“You have to make choices, whether personally or professionally. It might mean spending less time with your family to spend more time at the training ground recovering, or whatever it may be."
It's clear that the group are aiming for major success and are dreaming of the Champions League.
“But that’s what we want: to play in the Champions League, be at Wembley, compete in cup finals and get to May fighting for the Premier League title," he said.
Mentality this squad needs
While winning the Premier League and even the Champions League may be a difficult thing to achieve this season, Manchester United needs players who have the belief they can win rather than just wanting to win.
This will separate this current group from previous seasons, where the players no doubt wanted to win the trophies, but having the belief that they can, no matter how difficult it may be, is essential.
Ultimately, it will turn the positive culture this group has been praised for having into a winning culture, which, over time, as we have seen with rivals like Arsenal, will breed success as long as the players operate without fear.
These quotes from Dalot are quite pertinent, also given that Bruno Fernandes is not getting any younger, which could make the defender a potential captaincy option going forward.
