Cristiano Ronaldo’s past comments praising a former Manchester United team-mate have been backed up by a current star of the squad

Benjamin Sesko is hard at work attempting to follow in Cristiano Ronaldo’s footsteps by lifting Manchester United to greatness. And it seems the two are somewhat kindred spirits after each taking a liking to the same personalities at Old Trafford.

More specifically, Sesko has taken after Ronaldo by developing a close bond with United defender Diogo Dalot. Aside from both being from Portugal, Ronaldo spoke highly of his countryman’s characteristics when discussing players he admired.

It was towards the tail end of Ronaldo’s second stint at Old Trafford that he infamously appeared on Piers Morgan’s TalkTV show. And when pressed on which team-mates or opponents he held respect for, Dalot came out atop the list regarding United comrades.

“In Manchester United I can mention Dalot,” said the five-time Ballon d’Or-winner. “He’s young, but very professional [and] I don’t doubt that he’s going to have longevity in football because he’s young, he’s smart, intelligent and he’s very professional. Probably [Lisandro] Martinez, Casemiro is in his 30s, but I will say Dalot.”

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Fast-forward to the present day, and Dalot has displayed other appealing traits after helping Sesko settle in. The 22-year-old arrived at Old Trafford from RB Leipzig last summer in a deal potentially worth £74million, but Dalot played his role in making the switch a simple one.

When asked about which players at United he has bonded with in particular, the Slovenian told the Inside Carrington podcast: “Diogo Dalot. From the start, he was really helping me.

“Trying to help me in all the ways because it’s a different world here. I’m really grateful that he stood up, and he saw his younger self in me. We are still pushing each other every day, doing all the work.”

United fans may have Dalot to thank for Sesko’s uptick in form of late as the striker has helped raise standards on the field. The frontman has scored five goals in his last six appearances and has been crucial to Michael Carrick’s success as interim manager.

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Sesko scored both of United’s goals in a 2-2 draw away at Burnley last month, albeit not the result he and his team-mates wanted. He’s since come off the bench to score the winner in the 3-2 victory over Fulham, as well as bagging the equaliser in the 1-1 draw at West Ham last week.

Dalot, 26, also continues to play a prominent role in Carrick’s plans despite some fans raising concerns about his contributions in the past. The full-back has scored once and recorded three assists in 26 outings across all competitions this term.

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The Porto academy graduate, who joined United in 2018, was of rare value in Ruben Amorim’s former strategy given he’s able to play in either wing-back position. That role is no longer in use under Carrick, but the club legend has nonetheless found use for a player both Sesko and Ronaldo clearly revere.

Dalot appears to have cemented his place as first-choice right-back under Carrick, while Sesko has largely had to settle for minutes off the bench. It’s a set-up that’s worked for the most part to date, though the latter will hope to share more minutes with his close companion in the months to come.

Man Utd remain in the Premier League top four after securing a point against West Ham on Tuesday night.

Benjamin Sesko is confident Manchester United have the quality to secure Champions League football this season. Michael Carrick was close to tasting his first defeat since his appointment as interim boss against West Ham, but Sesko popped up with an injury-time goal to salvage a point in London.

Sesko’s goal ensured Carrick remains undefeated and meant United continue to occupy fourth position in the Premier League. Chelsea are a point adrift after drawing 2-2 against Leeds.

United sources confirmed at the beginning of the campaign that securing a return to Europe was the internal target. However, qualifying for the Champions League specifically would maximise broadcast revenue and help United attract the best players in the summer transfer window.

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The Reds are well placed to secure Champions League football thanks to Carrick’s impact. “I’ve said many times, we are living for each other, to win the games and secure the Champions League spot because we believe it, we have the team for it and have the quality,” Sesko told MUTV.

The 22-year-old reflected on the draw at the London Stadium, saying: “It was a difficult start to the game, the intensity was missing a little bit. It was just one of those games that wasn’t going to be easy because they were stepping back and really compact.

“They were trying to go for the counter-attacks, so it’s something we have to learn from. I think everyone wanted… everyone was trying to win the game and fight for each other. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen today, but at least we got a draw in the end, which is important.”

Sesko scored his fifth goal in six games against West Ham. The Slovenian international has made a superb start to 2026 and has momentum after making a tricky start to life in Manchester.

“It felt amazing to score, once again helping the team to at least secure a point,” he added. “It’s a great feeling for me as well to help the team, to know I can help the team in these kinds of moments. Without the team, I could not do it, so I’m looking forward to more moments like this.”

Carrick heaped praise on Sesko, saying: “It’s an unbelievable finish from the angle to generate that, to get it on target, to finish it. It’s some goal from him. He’s capable of that, Ben.

“He’s done it over time. It’s not that he’s just suddenly burst on the scene. He’s been doing it, he’s proven that he can score goals as well. He’s been doing it in training for us as well.

“It’s not surprising, to be honest. I think that’s what he does, it’s what he’s good at. But certainly to actually do it and to feel it. He did it with the last one [against Tottenham], tonight, a little bit different with the emotion of the game, but certainly important and a big moment for him and us.”

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Viral Manchester United fan, Frank Ilett, will have to wait longer to cut his hair as Michael Carrick’s side fell agonisingly short of winning their fifth consecutive match. Man United were held to a 1-1 draw by the inspiring West Ham on Wednesday in the English Premier League as Benjamin Sesko secured a point for the Red Devils.

United had won the first four matches under former player and interim manager Carrick, but as per a
condition set by Ilett in 2024, a victory over West Ham would have seen him finally cut his hair after over 500 days. But United failed to win their fifth consecutive match and Ilett would now have wait longer.

West Ham show Carrick’s United still have layers to unlock

That, however, would not be Man United’s major concern. The biggest worry would be how West Ham and manager Nuno Espírito Santo diffused a team that was high on confidence. United came into the game after beating Man City, Arsenal, Fulham and Tottenham, but the Hammers produced a perfect performance at the London Stadium.

One area where Carrick erred was that his approach was very similar to that last four games. He didn’t change much despite West Ham sitting deep, and then got lucky on the counterattack as Tomas Soucek put them in front in the 50th minute.

It took till 69th minute for Carrick to bring on Benjamin Sesko in place of Matheus Cunha, finally changing tactics to play some long ball instead of trying to stitch passes and score a goal. The introduction of the 1.95 meters tall striker Sesko from Slovenia finally paid off in the dying minutes of the match as he scored an equaliser in the 96th minute.

Bryan 🤝 Benjamin

A sublime delivery and finish deep into injury time 🎯

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 11, 2026

A very Man United result, but they would have wanted a win.

“I think we were a little disappointed and we were definitely not at our best. I’m a little frustrated at that,” Carrick told TNT Sports. “It is a tough place to come and we didn’t have that sharpness to find the answers. Great spirit again and we will take the point and move on.”

“Credit to the boys for coming back again, it is a great trait to have in the team,” Carrick added. “There are positives to take from it, you can’t win every game, we certainly didn’t want to come away from here without a point.”

United next play against Everton on Monday night.

In other EPL matches, Chelsea blew away a 2-0 lead to play out a 2-2 draw against Leeds at home. Newcastle defeated Spurs 2-1, while Bournemouth won 2-1 against Everton.