Dalot given new lease on life at Old Trafford

It is the early days of the Ralf Rangnick interim regime at Manchester United, but the Red Devils have so far delivered under the German tactician.

Rangnick himself took up his position on the touchline for the first time at the weekend when United ran out 1-0 winners against Crystal Palace and has former caretaker boss Michael Carrick to thank for four points from a possible six against Chelsea and Arsenal as well as a Champions League matchday five win over Unai Emery’s Villarreal.

And though it may only be temporary, the arrival of the “Godfather of Gegenpressing” has benefitted fringe right-back and Portuguese international Diogo Dalot handsomely, while throwing speculation on the future status of once undisputed first-choice right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Dalot struggled for minutes at United this season under Ole Gunnar Solskjær, logging just 321-minutes in seven appearances across all competitions. Wan-Bissaka was heavily relied on, but since Rangnick’s appointment, the roles have been reversed on the right side of the back four.

Diogo Dalot passes the ball into the penalty area 5 times vs. Crystal Palace, more than any other player on the pitch.

One of those passes lead to the winning goal, too. 👌 pic.twitter.com/OyllqEyn5J

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) December 6, 2021

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The Braga-native started and completed 90-minutes in both United wins against Arsenal and Crystal Palace and has looked good while doing it. His abilities going forward have shone in his early appearances under Rangnick, as highlighted by Football365 (link above) with his metric of 2.33 passes/90 into the opposition penalty area; only Trent Alexander-Arnold (2.76), João Cancelo (2.55), and Reece James (2.35) average more than Dalot at current.

Dalot is simply more than just a defensive specialist in the right-back role; a more modern option for an attack-minded manager in the mold of Rangnick. And on that basis alone he has jumped ahead of Wan-Bissaka in the pecking order.

Rangnick leaves door open for Man United fringe players

As Manchester United are set to clash with BSC Young Boys in their dead-rubber Champions League matchday six fixture at Old Trafford, Ralf Rangnick is set to give opportunities to other fringe options at the club; and they certainly will hope to have similar success to that of Diogo Dalot.

According to Rangnick himself during his pre-match press conference, both Dean Henderson and Donny van de Beek are set to be included in his matchday XI against the Swiss champions.

Ralf Rangnick on Jesse Lingard’s future: “Everybody has the chance to perform and present themselves. I am happy to give game time to quite a few of them tomorrow. [It is the] perfect opportunity to get to know the players”. 🔴 #MUFC @UtdDistrict

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 7, 2021

So too may Jesse Lingard, after Rangnick shed light on the situation when questioned about the future of the England international, stating that all players have a chance to state their case in the new regime.

At the very least, Ralf Rangnick is doing his due-diligence in giving a thorough review of his squad before settling on a direction.