3/8 ground duels, possession lost 13x: Ten Hag starter pinpointed as Utd’s ‘weak link’ amid woeful form

The continued absences of both Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw mean there’s almost no room for rotation amongst Manchester United’s fullbacks.

As such, Diogo Dalot is expected to retain his place in the starting XI for the coming weeks despite overseeing some of his most dismal form in a United shirt.

Only last weekend did the defender come under fire from fans and pundits alike when he lazily jogged back on the counter before Tottenham Hotspur’s third-minute opener, with Brennan Johnson no doubt left surprised over the amount of time and space he was granted to tap his effort past Andre Onana.

Read more: ‘Struggled really badly’ – Ten Hag told he has to drop one Red, he’ll be having ‘nightmares’ over Porto capitulation

Dalot’s recent form leaves a lot to be desired

Last night, upon his return to boyhood club FC Porto, it quickly became evident that he was being targeted down the left flank, proving unable to stifle the hosts’ prolific attackers as they eventually hit United for three in 50 minutes. Samu Omorodion, in particular, left Erik ten Hag’s chosen backline on strings. 

Dalot was pinpointed as United’s ‘weak link’ by the Daily Mail post-match, and you’d struggle to dispute such a sentiment, especially given that he lost possession on a shocking 13 occasions while winning a mere three of his eight ground duels, as per Sofascore.