Erik ten Hag has 'taken bullets' for miserable Man Utd as Diogo Dalot backs under-fire manager amid reports of imminent sacking

The Dutchman is reported to be on the verge of being sacked after a disastrous second campaign in charge of the Red Devils, but Dalot praised him as a proper leader for the way he has defended the players from criticism.

"We look to him as our leader. Normally this is what leaders do; they always take the bullets for everyone. But make no mistake about it, don’t misunderstand it - we take responsibility for what we do on the pitch," Dalot told reporters. "Obviously he tries to give his best, we try to give our best. But this is the type of connection that we need to have, with players and with the manager and we have a good connection with him. And he’s been an amazing manager in terms of trying to put us back on top."

Ten Hag has presided over United's lowest finish in the Premier League era well as a record 14 defeats. His side also ended the campaign with a negative goal difference for the first time since 1990. But Dalot said the Dutchman deserved praise for his superb debut campaign, when he took the Red Devils to third in the Premier League and won the Carabao Cup.

"We did it last season. This season was really difficult due to a lot of things we already talked about. But the message is that we are together as a team," Dalot added. "We are connected. We want to go forward. We need to be ready for every kind of criticism that is going to happen. Because you are one of the biggest clubs in the world."

Dalot was voted as United's player of the season by his team-mates after what he admits has been his best individual campaign of his career.

"The secret is being consistent, doing it everything single day," he said. "Which I think is the most difficult thing and the thing that I’ve changed the most is the consistency. I’ve been doing all these things; the sleeping, the sleeping patterns, the nutrition, the recovery. I think these are the three main aspects. I think it has been the consistency and I’ve been doing this."

United have one last chance to salvage their dire season when they face Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday, looking for revenge after losing 2-1 to their neighbours last year at Wembley. "We finished the game with that feeling of 'we could have won it' actually and to be so close to winning it and not doing it, this season we have another opportunity. So the message from inside is that this is our game of the season," Dalot added. "We're playing a great team, but with a final, as we used to say in my country: 'Finals are there to win and not to just play in' so we just want to win it. It's going to be a top game for us and we're looking forward to it."