Diogo Dalot praises Ruben Amorim for making steady progress at Manchester United
The 2024/25 season was perhaps one of the most embarrassing seasons in Manchester United’s history. Finishing 15th in the Premier League is a shame for a club that once ruled English football. We also lost the Europa League final to Tottenham, and now, United will play the next season without any European tournament. All this happened in a season in which Ruben Amorim was brought in as manager, that too halfway through.
The situation was not very good for the last few years anyway. There was no consistency in the performances, and the squad lacked balance. Old managers experimented, but did not get results. After the departure of Erik ten Hag, there were a lot of expectations from Amorim, but he too did not get much time. The team was scattered in the middle of the season, and fans were tired. There was pressure on the board as well.
Now that preparations are underway for the new season, the club have been aggressive in the summer transfer window. Players like Matheus Cunha from Wolves and Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford have been brought in. A young player named Diogo Leon has also been signed with a view to the future. None of these three are ‘superstars’, but all three have potential, and most importantly, hunger.
Diogo Dalot on Rúben Amorim:
Diogo Dalot praises Ruben Amorim for making steady progress at Manchester United.
Diogo Dalot has backed Ruben Amorim’s handling of Manchester United’s wantaways.
Meanwhile, recently Diogo Dalot spoke about Amorim. According to a report in Manchester Evening News, Dalot said that Amorim speaks straightforwardly – either meet the standard or get out. He made it clear that the players who have come in the pre-season are there because Amorim feels that this will be the core group. Dalot also added that the team are now more focused, but are not too excited about any result. Everyone knows that if you do the right thing, you will get results. This is in reference to how the manager handled players like Rashford, Sancho, Antony, and Garnacho, who are not in his plans at Old Trafford.
“I think he’s really good as a manager of trying to get the best out of you. He’s very clear in his messages that you want to be a part of the team, or you cannot be here. If you want to be at Manchester United, you need to match some standards. If you’re not able to match it, it’s not a place for you.
The message is really clear. The message was that if you started the pre-season, it’s because he believes that we are the group that needs to come. Obviously, we had players coming in, which is always amazing. You can feel straight away that they match those standards.
We are really happy with how things are going, but we’re not going to get carried away by the results of what we are doing. It just has to give you motivation that when you do things right, you get the results.”
Now the biggest test for the Portuguese manager are consistency and clarity. Matheus Cunha is fast, with technical qualities and versatile. He can play as a number nine as well as out on the wing. Mbeumo possesses pace, a work ethic and fits perfectly into the pressing system. Both can fit into Amorim’s aggressive pressing style. Diogo Leon is young but has raw potential if Amorim can provide the right guidance.
Dalot is right, but…
What Dalot said about Amorim is encouraging. A clear message is important – this club will not tolerate any average mentalities, but attitude alone will not work. Amorim has to rebuild the spine of this team. Firstly, control is needed in midfield, as last season, that midfield broke down repeatedly. There was no leadership to be seen apart from the likes of Bruno Fernandes. Secondly, the pressing that Amorim brought to Sporting has to be applied consistently here.
Diogo Dalot praises Ruben Amorim for making steady progress at Manchester United..
Diogo Dalot is a key player for Manchester United.
Then, the defence has to be rebuilt, as centre-backs look shaky. If you want to play a high line, defenders need both pace and proper positioning sense, and most importantly, Manchester United must be made ruthless again in front of the goal. Intensity must be seen in every match, home or away.
The 2025/26 season will be decisive for Amorim
Amorim will no longer have any excuses. He has his pre-season, his players, and now is the time to show the DNA in the team that fans have been missing for the last several years. Otherwise, this 15th position will not be the last, and Amorim will not be seen on the bench until next season.