Diogo Dalot exclusive: Man Utd’s in-form defender on living up to Jose Mourinho’s bold claim, English fans loving his slide tackles & INEOS’ impact at Old Trafford

Dalot has been at the forefront of United's revival in 2024, with the Red Devils winning six out of seven matches in all competitions while remaining unbeaten. He has started in every match since the turn of the year, scoring a magnificent curler against Wigan in the FA Cup and providing assists against Newport and Aston Villa. His sumptuous first-time cross at Villa Park allowed Scott McTominay to head home an 86th-minute winner which galvanised United's hopes of finishing in the top four and returning to the Champions League next season.

He has also honed the defensive side of his game, delighting United fans with his thunderous slide tackles, such as when he chased down Jarrod Bowen in the recent 3-0 win over West Ham.

“It was really quick, I just tried to reach him as fast as I could because I knew he was in a good position to score. I was fortunate enough to win the tackle and get the ball,” Dalot recalls, smiling at the enthusiasm in England for full-blooded slide tackles.

“Yes, more than in other countries. The grass helps, it's good for sliding tackles and for moves like that. Obviously the fans loved it, they always get a little bit more excited when you do something like that.”

The tackle on Bowen and the thrilling sprint back that made it possible also exhibited Dalot’s searing pace. According to Opta, he has recorded the fastest top speed of any United player in the Premier League this season.

That is why he is excited to have signed with PUMA this week and to wear the ULTRA, described as the world’s fastest football boot. “Speed is massively important in the modern game, especially in my position, where everything is high intensity, really high speed over distances, so I'm happy that the Ultra will help me to get even more speed,” he says.

Dalot joins a legendary line of players to have worn PUMA boots in the past, including Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona and Portugal icon Eusebio. The current crop of Puma players includes Antoine Griezmann, Neymar, Jack Grealish and Dalot’s United team-mate Antony.

“That's one of the reasons why I joined them, the amount of players that they represented in the past and in the present. It's a brand that's growing even more, so I'm really excited to make this partnership with them," he adds.

Dalot readily admits he is in the form of his life, but he will not be truly satisfied until United are back where their fans believe they should be. It has been a testing season for the Red Devils, who lost nine of their first 18 matches and suffered a surprise early exit from the Champions League.

"Probably it's my best time individually, but it doesn't fulfil that spot on my goals because collectively I want to be good and I want the team to be successful. So when we combine that, I think I'll be even happier," he says.

United are definitely on the way back to the top and the arrival of minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team has helped lift the mood around the club, their arrival coinciding with the upturn in results. Dalot, however, knows there is still a long way to go.

And he does not mean to get back to the standards United set under Ten Hag last season, when they finished third, reached the FA Cup final and won the Carabao Cup. He means United getting their hands back on the Premier League title, which they used to win routinely when Dalot was growing up.

"Last season we had a good year, we finished well with the trophy, fighting for the FA Cup and being in the Champions League spots. It's not an aim for the club, but it's a step forward," he says. "This season, hopefully we can finish with one trophy and be in the Champions League, that would be also a step forward in my opinion when we didn't start the way we wanted."

"The standard will always be fighting for the Premier League, the Champions League and all the trophies that we are in. So I think we can be in the right direction to go there. The club hasn't won the Premier League in a lot of years. Eleven years. So the fans have been waiting a long time.

"This is now, we have to win now. For them it doesn't matter if we won the Carabao Cup last season, in the next one we just have to win two trophies, win the Premier League. Every year you start the Premier League with expectations that you can win it.

"This is the type of mentality that we need in the club. It's the normal standard for the club. It's up to us as players, as a club, as staff to show it and to do it on the pitch."

The arrival of INEOS, with their background in elite sport, should help United achieve Dalot's aims. Director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford is a regular visitor to the Carrington training ground and has been at every game since INEOS' 27.7 percent stake in the club was confirmed in late December. He has already convinced Omar Berrada to leave arch rivals Manchester City and take over as United's CEO, while he is getting close to hiring Dan Ashworth as sporting director from Newcastle.

"It [INEOS] brought some different energy, which is always good when things are not going well. You can see around the place everybody was positive about it," Dalot explains. "They presented themselves to us with a lot of good energy and positive vibes for the future, so we were really excited to have them on board. So far we are very happy."

Before the INEOS deal was finally struck on Christmas Eve, United had been in limbo for 13 months after it was announced the club was holding a strategic review and exploring the possibility of a sale. While Ten Hag has claimed that the process did not affect the team, the uncertainty can't have helped him and his players.

"It can [cause uncertainty] because there's a lot of noise all the time with Man United outside the pitch. We try as much as we can to keep it outside Carrington, try to do our job on the pitch and leave the rest for the media, for everybody that likes to speak about the club," Dalot says.

"But obviously when you don't win, you combine everything and everything comes together, it seems that the responsibility goes a little bit to that [the strategic review]. But ultimately, it will always be what we do on the pitch. If you get results, everybody will be happy; if you don't, something will get wrong and [people] try to blame some things, but as players we try to give our best on the pitch and train and win games."

United are now winning games with a consistency they were incapable of showing earlier in the campaign, playing with more attacking verve than before and a sense of daring. Dalot is not the only player who has hit form, either. Rasmus Hojlund has scored seven goals in his last six Premier League games, while his fellow youngsters Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo are also lighting up the league, forming a strong bond off the pitch as well as on it.

"I think it's what this club is about, bringing through people from the academy and trying to make these long-term signings where you can develop and become great football players at the club. This is just a little showcase of what we can have in the future," Dalot says.

But there is also a sense of caution in his words, a warning for the more senior players, including himself, to look out for the emerging generation. "Obviously in football you don't take anything for granted, one year you can be the best, in the other year you can disappear," he adds.

"We are talking about these three players, but we have a few more in the club that are very well guided and had a lot of support during their journey when they were kids. When I signed, I was 19. I was their age and I felt it then. It's a tough world, a tough club to be at, but you have to be structured mentally and really well prepared for the biggest stage."

Dalot is only 24, but he is now one of United's most senior players. Only five members of the squad have been at the club longer than him, and he has a deep sense of appreciation for the club's history.

He was chosen for United's first press conference following the death of Sir Bobby Charlton in October and spoke eloquently about the man who survived the Munich air disaster and led the team to win the European Cup 10 years later.

So it is little surprise that when asked to name his favourite goal for United, Dalot chooses the 30-yard thunderbolt he scored against Sheffield United, just hours after the sad news of Charlton's death was announced.

"Not just from the distance that it was, but probably because of the moment, the celebration with the fans after a sad day of the loss of Sir Bobby, so it made it even more special. And we won the game because of that goal, so that made it even more happier," he says. The thumping strike was also the type of goal Charlton was infamous for scoring himself. "Maybe it was a sign."

Dalot also speaks glowingly about United's supporters and the devoted thousands who follow the fans across the country and around Europe.

“I’ve been in a lot of stadiums and I don't remember seeing away fans like Man United fans," he says. "Away from home, wherever we go, they are always there, they make their presence felt, so it’s always special when we play away from home, because we feel they’re always with us no matter what.

"It’s difficult sometimes when results are not there. They can feel frustrated, but they always believe every weekend they will see something special. That’s the beautiful part of this club, every game you think something special is going to happen. That’s the magic Man United has."

Dalot is helping United weave that magic once more, and it feels like there is something in the air now. But he will not rest until the club are truly back where they belong.

Diogo Dalot wears the PUMA ULTRA, available now on PUMA.com