Jose Mourinho should not bench Diogo Dalot after one bad performance. Give the Manchester United youngster time!
By Ali Akbar
Diogo Dalot did not impress on his first Premier League start for Manchester United. However, Jose Mourinho must allow the young right-back to make mistakes so that he can learn from them.
After what feels like decades of fans asking, Jose Mourinho finally handed youngster Diogo Dalot his first Premier League start in Manchester United’s midweek clash against Arsenal.
It didn’t go well.
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Dalot, who joined United in the summer for £19m from Porto, was out of his depths against the Gunners.
The 19-year-old played as a right wing-back in a back five and still looked shaky in defence.
He kept letting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in behind, and if it wasn’t for goalkeeping heroics by David de Gea, his errors could’ve cost United the game.
Worst still, the Portuguese looked like he was afraid to challenge Sead Kolasinac, letting the left-back get crosses into United’s box unchallenged.
He also failed to contribute anything going forward, having not put a single decent ball into the opposition’s box all game – as he kept either overhitting or underhitting his crosses.
All of this is unacceptable for a Premier League fullback, let alone a Manchester United one.
However, this doesn’t mean the manager should bench the youngster when we face Fulham on Saturday.
I know that sounds contradictory to what I’ve just said about Dalot but hear me out.
Yes, he made unnecessary mistakes against Arsenal. But how can he improve for United if every time he puts in a mediocre performance his manager benches him?
Confidence is key for any young player looking to make a name for himself. Mourinho should stop showing the cold shoulder to players for once and actually help them to develop and realise their true potential.
Fulham will be a much easier test for the right-back to showcase his talents and prove that the manager should put his faith in him.
Let’s hope Mourinho realises this so that he can avoid ruining the career of yet another young talent…
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Do you agree that Mourinho shouldn’t drop Dalot against Fulham? Or do you think the young right-back needs to spend some more time out of the squad in order to improve? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!