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Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot has highlighted his time under Ralf Rangnik as the “lowest point” of his career at the club.
Dalot was signed from Porto by Jose Mourinho in 2018 with much fanfare and expectation. However, he took time to get going, which saw him loaned to AC Milan during the 2020/21 season in search of regular first-team minutes.
In Italy, Dalot really matured and developed as a player. He returned to United and played significantly more the following season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
For the Portuguese international, like most of his team-mates, the sacking of the Norwegian coach has caused him a lot of trouble, especially under Rangnick, who has been appointed as interim boss.
United sank to a new level with the German tactician in the dugout as they recorded their worst points return in their history.
In an interview with FourFourTwo, Dalot – who has been impressive this term and is a leading contender for player of the season – gave some insights into what really happened under Rangnick.
The right-back said: “I came back more confident (from Milan), but I started playing more when Ralf Rangnik arrived.”
“The end of that season when we finished badly was my lowest point as a United player and we felt a bit hopeless. When Erik ten Haag arrived, things improved and I continued to play.”
“Off the field, I settled in Manchester after returning from Milan: my first year in 2018 was not easy because the weather was different than in Portugal. That was a bit of a shock, because life there usually exists outside. I was also far from friends, so I had to build new relationships and meet new people, which takes time.”
“But now I have good friends here – from the team, I’m friends with Antonio, Casemiro, Leach (Lisandro Martinez) and Bruno, plus David de Gea when he was here.”
On loan at Milan, Dalot said: “I played a lot of minutes, which I needed, because I didn’t play regularly for almost a year and a half. Culturally it was also important – to play in another league and learn a new language. Milan is a cool city, but because of COVID most things are closed.”
The 25-year-old explained that Paolo Maldini, who was Milan’s technical director at the time, played a key role in helping him perfect his game.
According to Dalot, Maldini gave him good advice on things like reading opponents and being patient.
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