Diogo Dalot has made an stellar start to life at Manchester United.
The Portuguese player signed for the Red Devils in the summer for £19m and, despite being hampered by some injuries in his debut season at Old Trafford, the 19-year-old has made 10 appearances and produced some well rounded performances.
His made his first start for United against Derby County in the Carabao Cup in September and put in an assured display, assisting Marouane Fellaini for his late equaliser.
Now many are tipping the youngster to cement himself in that right-back role in the coming seasons, with another potential glimpse of the teenager against Chelsea on Monday.
But just what is so impressive about the youngster?
It’s important to note Dalot possesses versatility, and is comfortable using both his left and right feet; this makes him a valuable defender as he can feature as both a right-back and a left-back when required.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær likes to deploy Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera as holding midfielders, and with these players offering more protection defensively for the team, full-backs are able to push forward and contribute in attacks.
Additionally, attacking players such as Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard can be prone to drifting inside from out wide, drawing defenders with them and providing plenty of space for full-backs to expose.
In the below image, Mata has come central to collect the ball. Matic is sitting deep offering defensive support, and as a result Dalot has pushed right up the pitch and is on the same attacking line as Romelu Lukaku.
In terms of the full-back position, it’s a role that continues to evolve. In the past, the position would be filled by a defender, there to offer cover for attacking players while maintaining a defensive structure to the side.
In more recent times, there has been more of an attacking emphasis expected from the position. As players, full-backs became smaller in build, less defensive-minded, but much more capable in attack, demonstrating plenty of speed and endurance, as well as being able to cross the ball under pressure.
The role has now transformed again. Full-backs are now required to be a combination of both. They must be able to use both feet well, physically imposing, strong in attack, but also defensively assured.
Luckily for United, Dalot ticks all the boxes of a modern-day full-back.
He stands at 6ft and yet it doesn’t hinder his ability to attack down the wing; in fact, it gives him extra power to do it well, being able to hold off opposition defenders and impose himself further up the pitch.
When he gets into those advanced areas, he can utilise his key asset - his crossing ability. Due to the quality of his cross, he creates plenty of opportunities for team-mates attacking the 18-yard-box and his capacity to successfully use both feet makes it difficult for defenders to anticipate whether he will look to cut inside and swing a ball in, or stay on the outside and whip a ball in from there.
In the below image taken from Manchester United v Derby, Dalot is again highly advanced in the opposition half. He crosses in an elite ball with three United players in the box.
The ball crossed in is perfect for Fellaini to attack and head home the United equaliser.
In the Premier League this season, of all right-backs aged 21 and under and have played more than 500 minutes, Dalot impressively ranks second to Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold in terms of average number of crosses into the box (4.29) per 90 minutes.
Furthermore, he can boast a success rate of 36% with those crosses into the box - and only Everton’s Jonjoe Kenny can better that with a success rate of 36.84%.
It’s clear Dalot is set to have a bright future at Old Trafford. Under their attack-minded set up, United allow him to roam further up the pitch and utilise that key crossing ability.
At just 19, he will continue to evolve and fans should be very excited about what the next few seasons hold.
