After Erik ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United in October last year, it was always important that senior management made the right decisions regarding his next appointment.
The Red Devils’ board turned to Ruben Amorim to fill the void, but almost 13 months after joining, he is still struggling for consistent supply.
He currently has a 41% winning record in his 56 games in charge at Old Trafford, but the 40-year-old has only won 23 games in all competitions.
His 3-4-2-1 system has not yet fully taken root in the Premier League, with many players still getting used to the demands of a manager’s complex system.
One player in particular has had to adapt his style of play in recent months as a result of his transfer, but as his statistics in recent weeks have shown, he has struggled in the 2025/25 season.
Statistics behind Dalot’s struggles in 2025/26
Diogo Dalot signed for United from his boyhood club Porto in 2018 and the Portuguese star is seen as a long-term solution at Old Trafford as a right-back.
The 26-year-old has already made more than 200 senior appearances for the Red Devils since his move, but concerns have been raised about his performance level in 2025/26.
Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system requires him to play a more advanced right wing-back role, a position he has struggled with so far.
He has struggled greatly in possession, as evidenced by his poor progressive pass completion rate of just 2.8 per 90 in 11 Premier League appearances.
These performances rank him in the bottom 20% of all full-backs in his division this season, further highlighting his lack of impact in possession this season.
He continues to struggle to make an impression, as evidenced by his record of just 1.7 per 90 finals passes, which ranks him in the bottom 14% of other defenders in the league.
When Dalot is in a shooting position, he has struggled in the Premier League, with zero shots on target, the worst record of any player in his division.
Since the arrival of his compatriot, it is clear that he has struggled very much to make a good impression and the manager needs to desperately deal with the situation in such areas.
Dalot’s star could end his Manchester United career
Amorim has been trying to solve problems in the wing-back department in recent months by trusting Amad Diallo to make the position his own.
The Ivorian primarily plays as a winger and played his role admirably in the 2024/25 season, scoring 11 goals and providing eight assists in all competitions.
The youngster has continued to impress this season and has already scored one goal and provided two assists. His only goal was a stunning goal in a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest.
However, the player is set to join up with the Ivorian national team for the African Cup of Nations, which could pose a problem for the manager in the coming months.
Despite the problems, the manager could bring in academy star Bendito Mantat to fill the void and solve a wide-ranging and long-standing problem.
The Englishman joined the academy at the age of nine, then spent his youth with the Red Devils and is now a star youth player.
He made three appearances for the Under-18s in the opening stages of this season, and was able to make a good impression, as evidenced by his three goals and three assists.
Mantato started as a winger and also played as a full-back in the academy team before making 11 appearances for the Under-21s this season.
As a result of his recent performances, analyst Ben Mattinson has already rated him as “explosive”, also noting his tireless personality and ability to get up and down the pitch.
Bendito Mantat – Statistics for 2025/26 | |
|---|---|
Statistics (every 90) | tally |
games played | 14 |
goals and assists | 9 |
Pass accuracy | 89% |
dribbling success | 1.1 |
The tackle I made | 3.4 |
won a duel | 6.7 |
won a duel | 49% |
foul win | 1.3 |
Statistics by FotMob | |
The youngster starred in the Under-18s’ 7-0 victory over Liverpool last weekend, finding the back of the net early on as a wide man and getting the ball rolling against their tough rivals.
Only 17 years old, expectations will definitely need to be managed by the club and Amorim, but it is clear that he is a player with talent and future potential.
But if he can continue on his current trajectory, there’s no reason he can’t replace Dalot in the first-team set-up and save the hierarchy millions of dollars.
The Portugal international certainly owes minutes at Old Trafford, but the full-back needs a miracle to prevent the hierarchy from considering options to replace him.
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