Diogo Dalot has stated that upon joining Manchester United, he was taken aback by the club’s standards and expectations.
In the summer of 2018, former manager Jose Mourinho bought Dalot from Porto for an estimated £19 million. The defender signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese defender was sent out on loan to AC Milan in the 2020-21 season. After returning from the Serie A, he made a positive impression on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and managed to win a permanent position in the starting lineup.
The 24-year old has now become a key player for United and that has earned him a contract extension at the club, signed in May, which could see him stay at Old Trafford until 2028.
The Portugal international has played 28 games this season and has rediscovered his best form at Old Trafford.
In conversation with TNT Sports, the right-back said: “It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions, developing as a man and you know when you’re a kid at such a young age and you sign for a big club like this, sometimes you get a shock.
“The expectations are always high, so you have to learn how to match that standard and when you’re young it’s difficult sometimes to see that you have to be there every single day.
“You have to fight every day to be at the highest level possible, so I’ve been saying that this is a progressive career so far in my short career, but in the club, it’s been very productive.
“You can often see winning being only about trophies or achievements with the team, but for me it’s been the small things, looking back and seeing the way I fought to stay at this club to get a position in this team.
“And I think for me, that’s been my biggest achievement so far and then collectively, you are here to win trophies and last season we did that, which was very special.”
The former Porto defender has made 135 appearances for the club and remains a crucial part of United’s future.
