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Diogo Dalot praised fellow Manchester United star Rasmus Hojlund after the club’s 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.
United needed a win on the final day to secure any chance of European qualification, but it was too little too late as Newcastle beat Brentford, meaning the Red Devils miss out on European qualification from their top-flight position for the first time since 2014.
One player who has stood out positively all season is Diogo Dalot and he put in another good performance yesterday, scoring the opening goal in the second half.
His manager Erik ten Haag also spoke glowingly of the player after the match, claiming that the coaching staff were very pleased with his progress during the season and waxed lyrical about his versatility to play as a set piece and also to turn full-back.
The Portuguese international was the only defender who managed to stay fit all season, playing 49 games in all competitions with three goals and five assists to his name.
The Portugal international has also been able to feature impressively in 36 of 38 Premier League matches this season, as one constant in the back four has been repeatedly cut and replaced through injury.
Speaking to MUTV (via the club’s official website), the 25-year-old praised Hojlund’s development during the season.
Dalot shared the advice he gave the 21-year-old immediately after his late goal at the Amex.
“I told him immediately after the goal that this is the type of mentality we want. Whether you’re on the bench or starting the game, you have to be ready. Fresh.”
“As soon as you come on, if it’s five minutes, a minute, 15 or 20, you have to give everything, and he’s shown, especially in these last two games when he’s come on, that he energizes the team. He’s fresh, he’s strong and he wins duels.”
“This is the Rasmus we want to see all season and I’m really happy with him.”
Speaking about the game as a whole, he said: “I think it was a progressive performance. We started really well but then we lost a few balls in the middle and a bit of confidence, especially with the ball.”
“Without the ball, in the first half, we struggled a bit to defend the pockets and spaces in the middle. They did a lot of one-twos that created some chances. We were lucky not to go into half-time with one goal conceded, so we knew we needed a change and we were much more in control in the second half.”
United now aim to end the season on a high when they travel to Wembley in six days’ time to take on Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
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