Dalot welcomes competition at right-back
Diogo Dalot welcomes the competition at right-back with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and believes all good teams need to have multiple options in every position across the pitch if they are to thrive.
Dalot returned to the Manchester United starting line-up during the 2-2 draw with Leeds United on Wednesday night, following a month-long absence.
After suffering his own injury problems during the first portion of the campaign, Wan-Bissaka has come into the side in place of Dalot and performed well, particularly in the recent Manchester derby win and 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace.
Now, with Diogo getting back to the levels he showed before the World Cup, he’s ready to give Erik ten Hag a headache, especially if Wan-Bissaka is fit to play again after the brief illness which kept him out in midweek.
“It’s the standard at this club. You have to compete for a position in a healthy way. As long as we keep this competition, I think it’s going to be better for us as a team,” Dalot told club media last month.
“We have at least two or three players per position which can be a bigger headache for the manager but for us, as a team, it’s the best thing because we have quality.
“When one player cannot play, the other will play and do the job as well, so I think it all benefits the team. I think that’s most important.”
United’s visit to Leeds on Sunday will be the 36th fixture of a busy campaign, with at least eight more inked into the diary before the domestic season breaks for international games in late March.
With the Reds still competing in all three cup competitions, the games are coming thick and fast and the importance of having a big squad full of players who are ready to compete is becoming more and more evident.
“If you want to reach finals, if you want to win competitions, you’re going to play a lot of games,” Diogo added.
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“You need to have a full squad ready to play, of good players who are available. This squad is getting towards that.
“By having two players per position, I think that gives us quality but it also brings us more responsibility to each of us.
“Every time we have an opportunity to play, we have to give our best because we know that there’s someone who wants to play in your position as well.
“This responsibility has to be good for us but in a way that collectively we can reach good things.”