Ruben Amorim was forced to step in to prevent two of his Manchester United players from coming to blows

It’s almost a year to the day since Ruben Amorim briefly channelled Tommy Shelby to deliver a blunt message to his Manchester United players: “NO. F***ING. FIGHTING.”

During the first leg of United’s Europa League clash with Real Sociedad last season, Rasmus Hojlund and Diogo Dalot nearly came to blows after Dalot failed to square the ball for Hojlund when the striker had the chance to tap in the opener.

Already enduring an 18-game goal drought, the Dane reacted furiously to the missed opportunity, flinging his arms skyward before unleashing a volley of stern words at his team-mate. Dalot snapped back, and for a moment the dispute threatened to boil over, but tempers eventually cooled.

After the game, Amorim urged his players to keep a lid on the hostilities. “The important thing is to move on and not be fighting,” he said.

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“I’m just imagining Diogo didn’t know for sure that Rasmus had the advantage and he felt that he had a lot of time to think of the play. It was a clear position, Rasmus did really well, Dalot did really well, but the decision was not the best.”

The flashpoint was ultimately overshadowed when Joshua Zirkzee fired United ahead early in the second half. The advantage proved short-lived, however, as Real Sociedad levelled from the penalty spot moments later. United would have the final say in the tie though, cruising to a 4-1 victory in the return leg at Old Trafford, with Dalot among the scorers.

Twelve months on, the trajectories of Hojlund and Dalot have looked markedly different. After managing just four Premier League goals in 32 appearances last season, United appeared to cut their losses with Danish striker, investing £74million in Benjamin Sesko during the summer window.

Hojlund was subsequently loaned to Napoli for the season, where he has rediscovered his scoring touch. He currently leads the club’s scoring charts with 13 goals in all competitions, while former United midfielder Scott McTominay sits second with 10.

At the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Hojlund is averaging a league goal every 0.4 games – a notable rise from the 0.2 he managed at Old Trafford. He remains under contract at United and is due back in Manchester at the end of the season, but with Sesko finding his rhythm, the prospect of Hojlund still being at Old Trafford come summer transfer deadline day appears increasingly remote.

As for Dalot, he has remained a constant in United’s starting XI despite the managerial turbulence. The Portugal international was a trusted lieutenant under Amorim, most often deployed as a right or left wing-back.

Since Amorim’s departure in January, interim head coach Michael Carrick has shown similar faith. After reverting to a back four, Carrick has restored the 26-year-old to his natural position at right-back, where his consistency and tactical discipline continue to make him a reliable option.

In total, Dalot is closing in on 250 appearances for Manchester United, having cemented his status as a first-team regular over the past five seasons.

Diogo Dalot spoke in the mixed zone following Man United’s win against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

Diogo Dalot has backed Harry Maguire to be given a new contract by Manchester United, describing him as “one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League” when he’s playing at his best. Maguire is out of contract at the end of the season, and talks over a new deal are ongoing.

Maguire has played a key role since Michael Carrick’s interim appointment. The defender has started every game under Carrick, who hinted he would be offered a new contract last week.

Speaking after the Crystal Palace win, Dalot told reporters: “I think he’s been showing during his career how strong he is mentally and physically and when he is in a good state of mind, and when he’s good physically with a good run of games I think is one of the best centre backs in the league.

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“So I’m pretty sure that if he shows a good level, if it helps the team, it will be no problem for the club to keep him, but it’s not my decision, ultimately it will between them. But we’re very happy with him.”

Dalot started alongside Maguire as United beat the Eagles on Sunday afternoon for a sixth win in seven unbeaten games under Carrick. Palace opened the scoring through Maxence Lacroix in the first half, but the Frenchman turned the game on its head in the second half by bringing down Matheus Cunha in the box to concede a penalty.

Bruno Fernandes converted the spot kick and Benjamin Sesko scored the matchwinner. “He’s a very humble kid,” said Dalot when asked about the latter. “You can see with the way he behaves, the way he is on the pitch. He always tries to be the best version of himself.

“Coming to a big club with big expectations, in a very important position for our team. I think he’s doing the right thing. He’s on the right path. We are very happy with the way that he’s working and how he is helping the team. And you can see it as a striker. Fortunately and unfortunately, sometimes they live by goals, and he’s in a good run, so we’re very happy.”

Dalot has become close with Sesko since his arrival from RB Leipzig in the summer. “Yeah, it became natural,” he said. “He’s an early bird as well, so the first few weeks we were coming into Carrington at the same time and we created this bond.

“We both have very similar ways of behaving and thinking, so it became a natural, good relationship, and I think that sometimes helps you to also adapt quickly to a new environment, to a new league, to a new country. So I think it was also good for him, but he also has a lot of teammates who I’m sure help him a lot.”

Dalot also has a strong relationship with his fellow countryman, Fernandes. The defender was asked whether some may take the United captain for granted and responded: “A little bit, I think. When you’re so consistent, when you play for many years at a very high level, sometimes, when you’re not there for one game, people start doubting, and people start always thinking that you should do that all the time.

“But that’s the most difficult thing in football. It’s [difficult] for you to be consistent during the whole season, whether you’re going to have ups and downs, but he’s always a player and person who shows up all the time, and he never hides, so I think that’s what this club needs.”

Dalot continued: “He keeps you alive during the game at every moment. He’s a player who can read the game really well and can read pretty much all the positions on the pitch. So he always likes to guide you on that. And if he has something that he believes he can help you with, he will say it, no problem.”

United moved to third in the Premier League table as they continued a push to secure Champions League football next season. “That’s the goal,” Dalot added. “We are very conscious that for us to be able to do that, we have to do games like today, where you don’t control for 90 minutes, where sometimes you don’t play like you should, but you find ways to win.

“And I think that’s what defines sometimes those who stay at the top of the table and those who start dropping points and dropping places. We’ve been there, so I think this season, if we want to… To get to the end of the season and have the goal that we wanted, we need games like this.

“I think seasons like this are good for you to know that when you’re playing Europa League and especially Champions League, those are the best years, those are best seasons and this year we play, I don’t know, maximum 40 games because we came out of the cup even in the early stage.

“So this is nowhere near what the club should be, and the competitions that we should play in. So when we are there, when we get the main goal that I really believe that we’re going to do next season.

“If we’re playing Champions League, we cannot take for granted, and we need to put the club back in there.”

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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.

Kobbie Mainoo struggled for game time at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim, but Diogo Dalot has told the England midfielder the experience will make him stronger

Diogo Dalot has told Kobbie Mainoo that being sidelined at Manchester United will ultimately make him better footballer. Mainoo came within touching distance of leaving United in a loan spell with Napoli during last month’s transfer window.

The England midfielder had grown increasingly frustrated with how former manager Ruben Amorim had handled him. Amorim consistently overlooked Mainoo for months, leaving him stranded on the sidelines and giving him plenty of time to contemplate his future.

However, Amorim’s dismissal in January provided Mainoo with a fresh start at Old Trafford. Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Dalot believes the ordeal will benefit him in the long run.

He said: “That just shows that in football, no matter the manager that you have, you have to work the same way. For Kobbie, he could have gone the other way.

“Because it’s really hard for you, when you’re 20 years old, you played almost 80 games for the Manchester United first team, you played for England’s national team. You’ve been there at the top, and all of a sudden you don’t play.

“How can you explain to a 20-year-old guy that you need to go back to what you did before – train hard, be humble, just wait for your opportunity? I don’t think that’s bad for him to pass through this experience.

“You might say he should have played a little bit more, or not, that might be your opinion, or not. But for him to go through that experience, I think it will benefit him for the future.

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“And I think he feels that now, because he enjoys (football) more now. He will not take for granted playing week in, week out. If you ask me about that situation, I think you will benefit a lot from going through that in his career.”

While Mainoo was deemed surplus to requirements by Amorim, Dalot demanded a constant presence in the head coach’s plans, despite often being on the receiving end of criticism from fans. And the full-back has admitted that such scrutiny has been increasingly tough to overlook.

He added: “I think it became a little bit more difficult because of, obviously, what is happening online nowadays. Everybody can say whatever they want.

“And unless you live in a cave, you’re going to be aware of what is being said or what is happening. But to be honest, because my football career, professional career, was all the time here, so I had to learn how to balance that. I had to deal with it.”

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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

£49

£35

Sky

Get Sky Sports here

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.