Now, why did we think he would say Bruno Fernandes?
When quizzed by the Manchester United official website on the identity of the best trainer on Carrington turf, Christian Eriksen certainly did his fair share of deliberating before settling on an answer which – surprisingly enough – was not the Red Devils’ indefatigable skipper.
Then again, Eriksen’s eventual pick makes a lot of sense when you have been following the development of United’s long-serving £19 million man closely over the last few months.
According to The Athletic, Diogo Dalot has devoted countless hours to improving his end-product in the final third this season, and it’s fair to say all that practice is paying off.
Diogo Dalot has reached a new level at Manchester United
A tally of five assists in all competitions may not be Trent Alexander-Arnold or prime Dani Alves numbers, but it’s still more than double his 2022/23 tally of two.
That sumptuous cross which set up Scott McTominay‘s late winner at Aston Villa in February was described as Beckham-esque, and his fizzed daisy-cutter delivery to set up the same player against Coventry City in the FA Cup semi-final was another the Old Trafford icon would have been proud of.
“Who is the best trainer? I think it’s a very good group,” Eriksen says, the Portugal international’s hard yards not going unnoticed amongst his United peers. “There is as lot of players who train hard on the pitch, or do a lot of extra work in the gym.
“I will give it to Diogo Dalot.”
If reports are to be believed – and Erik ten Hag certainly has quite a firm take on those rumours – Dalot is one of only ten first-team players safe from the chop this summer, alongside Andre Onana, Lisandro Martinez, Kobbie Mainoo, Fernandes and Rasmus Hojlund.
And rightly so, the 25-year-old one of few players who has actually taken his game to a new level during a pretty painful campaign.
Erik ten Hag is a huge fan
“Diogo Dalot has done very well,” said the legendary Gary Neville on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast. “He’s been Manchester United’s best player this season.”
And Neville should know, being an eight-time Premier League champion from right-back after all.
“Everyone gets criticism but he is a fantastic player who is developing very well,” Ten Hag smiled after that Villa Park triumph, Dalot not only United’s first-choice right-back but also a capable left-back and arguably the player most comfortable with the manager’s fluid, inverted full-back proclivities.
“He can play in so many positions and he is improving on crosses. He can score and his defending is improving so I am very pleased with him.”