Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot has revealed that he turned down a move to AC Milan late last year so that he could continue to compete for a starting spot at United. After falling out of favor at Manchester United, Dalot was permitted to play for AC Milan on loan for one season.
The Portuguese international has had difficulty establishing himself as a regular member of the United side, but Erik ten Hag has helped him begin to blossom in the side in these early stages of the 2022/23 season.
Dalot has made the most of his opportunity after Manchester United did not make a move to acquire a new right-back during the summer transfer window. As a result, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been left on the bench.
Dalot has now revealed that he passed up the chance to sign a permanent deal with AC Milan to pursue first-team opportunities with Manchester United. He stated that he wanted to play for the Red Devils.
“Milan are a great club and I loved the season with the Rossoneri. But it (transfer) wasn’t just up to me. In the end, I decided to stay at United and it was the right decision. If I’m a better defender I owe it to Milan. Italian football is different from the Premier League and I had to adapt in just one year and playing in Serie A has helped me a lot,” said Dalot, as quoted by Metro.
If Dalot can maintain the form he began the season with, Ten Hag won’t have to consider bringing in a new right-back for some time as Dalot is still only 23 years old and still has lots of years to prove his consistency in the position.
