One Manchester United star has lifted the lid on playing under interim manager Michael Carrick
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 23: Diogo Dalot of Manchester United makes a point to manager Michael Carrick during the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on February 23, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
Diogo Dalot has opened up on playing under Michael Carrick (Image: 2026 Chris Brunskill/Fantasista)
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Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot has claimed that playing under interim boss Michael Carrick in defence isn't all that different from playing under Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese manager was sacked in January after a dismal run at United.
Carrick has since steadied the ship, winning seven, drawing two and losing just one of his ten games in charge. One reason for United's dramatic upturn in form has been pinned on Carrick reverting to a back four, rather than Amorim's notorious 3-4-3 set-up, which caused United a host of problems.
Instead of using three centre-backs, United now defend with two centre-halves and their full-backs in a flat back four. This can change to a back five when one of the wingers drops deeper to track the opposition's wide man. Dalot, however, believes the differences are minute.
“If you analyse it closely, things are not that different from what we were doing with Ruben,” he told DAZN Portugal. “If you look at the pieces of the game individually, you don’t see that many differences. The biggest difference is the profile of the player. Now we play with one less defender and one more attacking player.
“As I say many times, at the end of the day what really matters is the result. When confidence is high, with the quality of players we have, sometimes you don’t even need to say much and players go on the pitch and perform well.”
The 27-year-old also reflected on how his role in the team has shifted, being utilised in a more advanced position on the wing. He believes this has given him a greater understanding of what to expect going forward under Carrick.
“When you play as a winger and receive the ball, you have options to go one-against-one, attack the line, play backwards or find the number ten,” he said. Yet he conceded that the full-back position is where he feels most comfortable.
“It feels like going back to my origins,” he said. “When I get those opportunities, I try to make the most of them because I know they will make me even more versatile."
Manchester United's Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim (R) speaks with Manchester United's Portuguese defender #02 Diogo Dalot (L) during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Bournemouth at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on December 15, 2025.
Dalot says playing under Amorim and Carrick isn't all that different (Image: PETER POWELL / AFP via Getty Images)
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The former Porto star is in his fifth season at Old Trafford and is now one of the squad's most senior players. “I enjoy having that responsibility,” he said.
“What I try to do every day is represent the values of the club as best as I can. The behaviours and attitudes I show daily are very important to me because I know I can set an example.
“I still consider myself young. But the reality is that I joined the club so early that it now brings more responsibility. New players arrive all the time and I try to help them feel comfortable. At the same time, they need to understand the reality of the club.
“Obviously when you start playing football you only think about the passion for the game. You don’t think much about what comes next. At an early stage I would never have imagined playing for FC Porto, let alone becoming the second longest-serving player at Manchester United.”
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