Diogo Dalot has been impressive since Erik ten Hag took over and has become one of the first names on the team sheet under the Dutchman.
When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was manager, Dalot was close to being sold and was even loaned out to AC Milan in 2020-21.
Last season, the Portuguese international replaced Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the starting eleven under Ralf Rangnick.
Since then, his performances steadily improved and he played the most matches for the German.
This season, he has stepped up under Ten Hag and has consistently provided attacking momentum down the right flank while also improving his defensive awareness.
The Dutch manager even fended off approaches from various clubs in the summer and with Wan-Bissaka nowhere near impressing the new boss, the right-back position looks set to be Dalot’s for the rest of the campaign.
Dalot’s contract expires at the end of the season, but the club have the option to extend it, which is likely to happen during the January transfer window.
The right-back arrived at the club in 2018 at the hands of José Mourinho and went unnoticed until his loan to AC Milan.
Returning to the club in 2021, interest in the right-back was high, but Solskjaer used him as a squad player.
Six months later, he had his chance to impress and he hasn’t been wrong since.
It was a rocky start to the 2022-23 campaign for the 23-year-old who was not at his best during losses to Brighton and Brentford.
Ten Hag made the brave decision to change his defense by bringing in Raphael Varane and Tyrell Malacia, which proved to be a huge success for United defensively.
Their performances also improved and since then the team has embarked on a four game winning streak.
During the North West derby, the right-back produced a 7.1 SofaScore rating winning four duels from the ground, making four clearances and creating a big chance.
It felt like a career-changing performance under Ten Hag, who was no doubt considering changing positions after previous terrible performances.
The following game had an outstanding performance with a PIR of 8.3 against a very physical and hard to beat Southampton where he got an assist.
Then came a 7.4 rating against Leicester City and a drop to 6.6 in the win against Arsenal.
With it still being early days of the Premier League campaign, it will be difficult to predict where this season will end for the right-back.
He managed to score twice for Portugal during the international break and will return to England hoping to perform at the highest level in the Manchester derby.
United Matchday Magazine: The best pre-match experienceThe Manchester derby. Ten Hag’s men are ready. this is huge
Get ready for the match and enjoy carefully curated news, opinions and more Online football content like you’ve never seen before No ads, no clickbait, no fake news – just 100% pure United Delivered instantly to your device made easy and secure online Place an order Click Preview to see more or GET YOUR FREE COPY (usually £1.25 / $1.50) Limited Time Offer: SAVE 33% on a Season Pass – Use discount code SEASON33 at checkout the purchase.
