Diogo Dalot explains how Cristiano Ronaldo inspired recent Man Utd form with legendary Al-Nassr star helping defender create 'routine'

Dalot, 25, has claimed that working with someone who is 'obsessed' with his craft like Ronaldo at United has positively impacted his commitment behind closed doors.

The defender stated that some of Ronaldo's habits 'passed on' to him during their time together at the club and he now has a strict routine that he follows each day. This includes recovery, physical exercise and nutrition.

The Portuguese pair played together from 2021 to 2022, before Ronaldo left to join his current club Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to the official Manchester United media team, Dalot said: "I had the life experience to work with someone who was completely obsessed about it. By being with him so much of the time, that passed on to me.

"Now it’s just something that’s just part of me. I think I created this routine where I have to take some time every single day to recover, to work on my mental part as well, my physical part. It’s all a routine now.

"It’s just trying to work on recovery, nutrition, all kinds of stuff that will make my body feel ready to play. Ultimately, our bodies are our tools; they're what we use to play football. I try to recover as fast as we can when the games are coming really fast.

"Mentally, obviously, it’s been a tough season. And when things are not going well, at this club, everything is bigger. Whether you’re winning or losing, everything is bigger, so you need to be really, really prepared mentally, to take all this pressure.

"To try to come to Carrington every single day to match the standards of the club, which are really high."

Despite a relatively disappointing campaign for United again during 2023/24, Dalot has been a stand-out performer for the club throughout the season.

The Portuguese international has featured in 35 of the 37 Premier League fixtures so far this season, where he has scored one goal and added three assists.

The upturn in his performances could be attributed to Ronaldo's influence on him after he admitted he now prepares mentally to deal with the pressure of playing at United.

Dalot and his United team-mates will now look to finish as high as they can this season. The Red Devils currently sit in eighth place, level on points with Newcastle United in seventh, and could leap-frog the Magpies with a win against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.

Elsewhere, the squad will also have one eye on the FA Cup final against local rivals Manchester City, which is scheduled to take place at Wembley Stadium on May 25.