"Everything is for the greater good of the team" - Manchester United star opens up on Ten Hag's angry outburst after 2-2 Aston Villa draw
Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot has revealed details about manager Erik ten Hag's fury following their preseason draw with Aston Villa on July 23. He stated that what the Dutchman said will help the team become more disciplined.
Jadon Sancho's volley and a Matty Cash own goal had put the Red Devils two up at half-time against Villa. However, some poor defending allowed Villa to equalize through Leon Bailey and Calum Chambers. With the 2-2 draw, Manchester United's 100% record in this year's pre-season ended.
Diogo Dalot's game by numbers vs. Aston Villa:
100% tackles won
68 touches
53 passes
11 final third passes
4 blocked passes
3 times possession won
Impressing as Erik's inverted RB. #MUFC https://t.co/Am544rs9tW
Ten Hag's side conceded from a corner in the 93rd minute to throw away their lead. After the match, the Dutch manager admitted that their defense made silly mistakes and they needed to do much better.
Dalot recently spoke about his manager's reaction to the draw in Perth. The 23-year-old told The Mirror:
“It’s discipline. We need to be ready for that, to be ready to hear things that maybe we don’t want to hear. But I think everything is for the greater good of the team and that’s the most important thing. I feel that we start from scratch, new manager, new stuff, new energy, new players coming in and we’re looking forward to play with them as well."
He added:
“We need to build a team, a staff, a club, everyone together and go forward. It’s tough, but we need to adjust quickly. We need to be ready for any kind of challenge.”
Can we just take a moment to appreciate Diogo Dalot? The progress he’s been making under Erik Ten Hag, has been a joy to watch so far. 🇾🇪 https://t.co/iTGrULhoet
Diogo Dalot aiming for big season at Manchester United
The Portugal international signed for Manchester United from Porto in 2018 and has since played 65 times for the club. He also established himself as Manchester United's first-choice right-back towards the end of last season ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Dalot is clearly keen to keep his place in the side under Ten Hag. He claimed he finally feels like he is an established player at Old Trafford. The full-back stated:
“I feel like I’m a Man United player, but obviously you have to work every single day to play. I want to be ready for the manager, for the club, and every time he needs me, I’m going to be there. I need to show my qualities as well. This is why I came here, to show to this club I’m capable to play many games for this club. This is what I want."
He added:
"I think things are going well, but we still have a lot of room for improvement. We need to be proactive, not just the full-back - everyone. Read the game, be always on our toes. Mentally we have to be connected all the time and hopefully we can improve a little bit more as well.”
@ManUtd
First one in Perth 📍🇦🇺 @ManUtd https://t.co/uiwV15sbQr