After Erik ten Hager was fired Manchester United Last October, it is always critical that leadership make the right decision in the next appointment.
Red Devils board turns Ruben Amorim to fill the gap, but some 13 months after his arrival, he is still struggling to keep delivering goods.
He has a 41 per cent win rate in his 56 games at Old Trafford so far, with the 40-year-old managing just 23 wins in total across all competitions.
His 3-4-2-1 system has not yet fully worked, as many players are still adapting to the demands of the manager’s complex system. Premier League.
One player in particular has had to adapt his style of play over the past few months due to the switch, but he’s not in good form heading into the 2025/25 season – as evidenced by his statistics in recent weeks.
The stats behind Dalot’s struggles in 2025/26
Diogo Dalot United signed the Portuguese star from boyhood club Porto in 2018 and was viewed as a long-term solution at right-back at Old Trafford.
The 26-year-old has made over 200 first-team appearances for the Red Devils since his move, but concerns have been raised over his performance levels in the 2025/26 season.
Due to Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, he has been asked to take on a more advanced right-wing back role – a position in which he has struggled so far.
In his 11 games in the Premier League, he has struggled with the ball, as evidenced by his low completion rate of just 2.8 progressive passes per 90 seconds.
Such statistics place him in the bottom 20% of all full-backs at this level this season, further demonstrating his lack of impact when on the ball this season.
Going forward, he also struggled to impress, as evidenced by the fact that he completed just 1.7 passes per 90 in the finals, which also placed him in the bottom 14% of other defenders in the league.
Dalot has also struggled in the Premier League when he gets into shooting position and is the worst player in the Premier League as shown by his zero shot record.
It’s clear that he has struggled to impress since his compatriot’s arrival and the manager urgently needs to address this area.
The star who could end Dalot’s Manchester United career
In order to solve the problems in the full-back department, Amorim Amad Diallo In recent months, he has tried to make the place his own.
The Ivorian has primarily played as a winger but has impressed in the position, with the 23-year-old scoring 11 goals and providing eight assists in all competitions during the 2024/25 season.
The youngster continues to impress this season, having already scored one goal and provided two assists – his only goal being a superb strike in the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest.
However, the head coach may face problems in the coming months as the player is due to participate in the African Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast national team.
Despite these issues, the manager could bring on academy star Bendito Mantato to try and fill the void and address long-standing issues across a wide range of areas.
The Englishman joined the academy at the age of nine and went on to spend his entire teenage years at the Red Devils, where he is now a star player in the youth teams.
He made three appearances for the U18s at the start of the season but has impressed, as shown by his figures of three goals and three assists.
Mantato started out as a winger and even played full-back for the academy team before going on to make 11 appearances for the Under-21s this season.
Due to his recent performance, analyst Ben Martinson has labeled him “explosive” – even talking about his ability to move around the pitch tirelessly.
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Bendito Mantato – 2025/26 season statistics |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics (per 90 people) |
consistent |
|
Games played |
14 |
|
Goals and assists |
9 |
|
Pass accuracy |
89% |
|
successful dribbling |
1.1 |
|
tackle making |
3.4 |
|
duel won |
6.7 |
|
duel won |
49% |
|
Foul wins |
1.3 |
|
Statistics passed Ford Mob |
|
The youngster was impressive in the Under-18s’ 7-0 win over Liverpool at the weekend, with the wide man scoring early to help his side overcome their bitter rivals.
At just 17 years old, he will undoubtedly need the club and Amorim to live up to expectations, but it is clear that he is a talented player with huge potential for the future.
However, if he does continue on his current trajectory, there’s no reason why he can’t replace Dalot in the first team and save the team millions.
The Portugal international is certainly on borrowed time at Old Trafford and the full-back will need a miracle to stop the hierarchy searching for his replacement.






