Erik ten Hag had inherited a bloated and unbalanced squad when he took over as Manchester United manager. From getting rid of deadwood to buying quality players, there was a lot to do.
The summer transfer window proved to be a success with the club gaining five permanent recruits and one loan signing through the Carrington gates.
But there is still a lot of work to be done and it will take at least a few more transfer windows to put his house in order considering the massive rebuilding job the Dutchman has been tasked with.
Dalot has turned United around
Aside from the ins and outs, there’s also the small matter of contract renewals. As previously reported on The Peoples Person, up to ten first-team stars will be out of contract in 2023.
The former Ajax coach has indicated that the club is in the process of activating the one-year extension option in all its contracts so as not to lose them for free.
One player whose fortunes at the club have been completely transformed since the Dutch manager took over is Diogo Dalot and his contract will also expire in 2023.
???? Manchester United will activate the option to extend the contracts of Marcus Rashford and Diogo Dalot until 2024. ???? ???? SofaScore
– Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) December 12, 2022
The Portuguese is the club’s undisputed number 1 right-back and has started all but one game so far this season and the manager considers him irreplaceable.
The 23-year-old even managed to usurp Joao Cancelo as Portugal’s starting right-back at the World Cup and was among the team’s best players despite a quarter-final exit.
The club is actively trying to get the Portuguese full-back to sign a long-term contract and with so many foreign clubs interested, the one-year option will ensure the player cannot leave for free in the summer of next year.
Dalot could emulate CR7
Despite his newfound status as unbeatable under Ten Hag, AS (via Sport Witness) have reported that “Barcelona could have a chance at the full-back thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s dramatic departure from the Red Devils.”
Dalot was close to the Portuguese striker and without his compatriot, the defender “could use a change of scenery”, especially if Barcelona arrives.
Barcelona are aware that a January deal is off the table as news of the contract extension is the “most likely solution” that will give United time to then work out a “wider renewal” or “consider a transfer”.
It will be interesting to see how this works out next summer. United should definitely try to continue to consider this importance to Ten Hag’s plans.
