Man Utd legend Gary Neville thinks the Red Devils should avoid selling Diogo Dalot as “he can do a decent job” for the Premier League side.
The Red Devils have won both of their matches since Michael Carrick took over as interim boss earlier this month following a tricky 14 months for Ruben Amorim.
Man Utd are set to make a number of changes in the summer, including the hiring of a new permanent manager after sacking Amorim.
Dalot, who signed for Man Utd from Porto for £19m in 2019, has come in for a lot of criticism over the past couple of seasons but Neville reckons the versatile full-back is worth keeping.
Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast: “Another player I want to mention is Diogo Dalot. Look, he gets a really harsh view at times off quite a few United fans.
“I actually think there’s a half-decent full back in there. And I want full backs so closely.
READ: Who will be Manchester United manager next season? Carrick at the wheel after stunning start
“At times I think he gets too involved but he’s good in the air, he’s athletic, he’s decent on the ball, he can defend his back post.
“I don’t think he’s a world class full back but neither was I. He does a lot of things and he could even simplify his game a little and focus on feeding people.
“He’s started being more aggressive at getting out to players and then getting back in. The defenders in general are really getting that connection in the last two games.
“I think he’s got something about him, Dalot, I think he’s got a 7/10 performance in him every week.
“But we’ve seen him at right and left wing back before and he’s been exposed so many times. If he just played right fullback all the time I wouldn’t be getting rid of him as a hurry.
“Other people may disagree with me but I know that position well and I think he can do a decent job for Manchester United.”
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Explaining how Carrick, who has beaten both Man City and Arsenal since taking the job, has turned things around, Neville added: “There are a number of things that have changed.
“The intensity, the compactness, the aggression of the defending, their willingness to get behind the ball together and be difficult to beat and dig in when you’re in difficult moments of the game. And there was more of that [against Arsenal] than there was against City.
“I thought they played better football against City, but they were always going to have to dig in [at Arsenal] more.’
“But the big thing for me is that they’ve got a threat up front,’ Neville added. ‘They’ve got a group of players who are talented up front, who are also getting back and helping their defenders, who are digging in.”
Neville continued: “He’s definitely instilled a simplicity to it in the last two weeks, in the last two games, that I like about it.
“[The 4-2-3-1] is my favourite system. We’ve talked about it a lot, the idea of a talented player playing off a striker, two wide players narrowing in midfield, a back four that’s really aggressive. It’s been a huge turn.”
