One of three Manchester United players labeled a “top professional” by Cristiano Ronaldo is being linked with a big-money move to Real Madrid.
In November 2022, Ronaldo made some bold statements during a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan, in which the five-time Ballon d’Or winner criticized United, then-manager Eric ten Hag and the club’s owners, the Glazer family.
Elsewhere in the interview, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner name-checked three players he believed were “top professionals” during his second spell at Old Trafford.
Asked which players he admires, Ronaldo replied: “At Manchester United, I can mention [Diogo] Dalot. He is young but very professional and I have no doubt that he will last a long time in football because he is young, smart, intelligent and very professional.
“Perhaps [Lisandro] “Martinez, Casemiro is around 30, but I would say Dalot.”
On the subject of Dalot, it appears that Real Madrid are interested in signing the Portuguese right-back from Manchester United, according to the Spanish publication. relief,
In fact, Los Blancos had contacted United about Dalot’s availability while Eric ten Hag was still in charge at Old Trafford.
Madrid reportedly value the defender at around €50 million [£41m] And could follow him this summer, although the so-called ‘main option’ remains a move for Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.
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Meanwhile, Dalot has been a first-team regular for United in recent seasons – and the theme will likely continue under new manager Ruben Amorim.
The 25-year-old was full of praise for Amorim in a recent interview.
“Personally I don’t know him,” Dalot told Premier League. “Whatever I know is from what I see, from what I get from my national team teammates. He’s obviously a brilliant coach with a young mentality, but at the same time he knows what he wants.
“He is very demanding – that’s all I can expect and I think it’s a perfect match for this kind of club.
“The standards are really high. You can see he’s a guy who has really high standards and he sticks to them, so I’m hoping it can be a really good match and we can win together. That’s what I look forward to the most.”