Diogo Dalot has confirmed that he wants to stay at Manchester United amid talks over a new contract.
The Portuguese right-back has shone under new boss Erik ten Hag this season and recently prompted the Red Devils hierarchy into triggering a one-year extension clause in his deal in order to fend off interest from other clubs, such as Barcelona. In a fresh update, Dalot, who arrived from Porto in 2018, has delighted fans and club chiefs by affirming his desire to stay at Old Trafford for years to come.
"We are talking about it, we are negotiating and we are seeing how both parties would benefit," the 23-year-old defender told the United Stand of contract extension talks. "It's no secret that I'm happy to be here, I love this club and I love to play for this club. So we'll see how things will go, but progressively, we are going in a good direction as a team and this is, for me, the most important part, and hopefully I can still individually help the team as I've been doing."
Dalot's comments come after Ten Hag decided to put his search for a new right-back on hold, having been impressed by Aaron Wan-Bissaka's return to the team. For a variety of off-the-pitch reasons, Wan-Bissaka spent nearly the entire first half of the campaign playing second fiddle but took his chance when Dalot missed the Red Devils' first three matches after the World Cup break through injury.
In an interview with VI Magazine, Ten Hag explained: "I think that as a coach, you should always work first with the players you already have available. The position of right-back in our selection is a good example of that. In the beginning, I also had my doubts and wondered if we should look for reinforcements there.
"But then you start working with your squad and come to new insights. A player like Diogo Dalot did very well in pre-season and I saw the boy's potential. So that position is no longer a priority to get reinforcements."
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Dalot is clearly enjoying life under the Dutch tactician, as the Portugal international added during a fan Q&A: "Since pre-season, I've known that I have to be at my best level to play the way that [Ten Hag] wants to play. I think I fit right in with his type of game and the things he asks me to do on the pitch, I think it suits the way that I like to see football, so it helps.
"Obviously, he's a very demanding manager, he wants every player available, he wants every player at the best level physically, so I have to push myself a little bit more - especially before pre-season, because I knew that I had to be very good physically to be able to play the way that he wants.
"Then it's just about making progress, trying to learn and doing what he asks you to do. I think not only me but you can see the progress in a lot of players, especially collectively we're making progress and he I think he's obviously one of the biggest parts of that."
