Diogo Dalot has been the quiet constant for Manchester United in 2022, and he has thoroughly deserved his nomination for Fans’ Footballer of the Year.
The past 12 months have been a memorable period for the 23-year-old, who has gone from being judged as substandard to being hailed as undroppable. He has former interim boss Ralf Rangnick to thank for his long-term break in the starting XI.
Dalot was the German’s clear first-choice right-back in the second half of last season, the Portugal international edging Aaron Wan-Bissaka out of the picture. The defender’s 2022 Premier League record got off to a tremendous start. He did not lose a league game until April, putting together a run of nine games which included five wins and two clean sheets.
READ MORE: Diogo Dalot is giving Portugal a World Cup decision to make as Erik ten Hag's training pays off
You can vote for Dalot for the Fans' Footballer of the Year below or by clicking here.
After a promising pre-season, Dalot earned the trust of new boss Erik ten Hag and has flourished. With Wan-Bissaka not favoured, Ten Hag put his faith in Dalot at right-back with no natural backup. He has grown immensely under his fifth United manager and the stats show his progression.
The full-back has already kept the same number of Premier League clean sheets as last season (five) and his average tackle success per match is higher, as is his cross accuracy.
More obviously, he’s recorded two assists and netted a goal this campaign after recording blanks in both categories last term. Cristiano Ronaldo may have left United under a cloud but he singled Dalot out for praise, which is worth noting.
"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,” the striker said. After last season’s woes, the ex-Porto defender has shown fantastic resilience both mentally and physically.
He has bounced back from a poor end to the 2021/22 campaign to become a real asset in the first XI and has started every game he has been available for. this season
Dalot’s form has continued into his international success too. After scoring his first goals for Portugal in September, he bagged an assist on his World Cup debut last week which put a large cherry on top of his 2022 cake.
You can vote for Dalot for the Fans' Footballer of the Year below or by clicking here :
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