Man Utd star admits ‘we have to suffer’ as he blames horror run of form on ‘restructure’ following Spurs battering
MANCHESTER UNITED full-back Diogo Dalot has admitted he and his team-mates “have to suffer” amid the club’s restructuring process.
New co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe ordered a complete overhaul behind the scenes at Old Trafford after acquiring 25 per cent of United earlier this year.
The British billionaire has already appointed a new chief executive, technical director and sporting director since taking charge of football operations.
And he is planning to build a new state-of-the-art stadium to replace the Theatre of Dreams.
Amid the huge shake-up at Man Utd, manager Erik ten Hag is struggling to get the best out of his players on the pitch.
The Red Devils currently sit 13th in the Premier League table with just seven points from six games.
And right-back Dalot admits he and his team-mates have been affected by the ongoing changes behind the scenes.
The Portugal international said: “I feel that there is a restructuring at the club, which is good, but during this process we have to suffer.
“It’s a daily job, we have to train well and recover well. There are ups and downs that football brings us, but the more balanced we are as a club and as athletes, the more successful we will be.
“It is normal to go through a period of reflection and analyse what was done, good and bad.
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“There is always a 24-hour period to switch off and start thinking about the next match.
“There are different matches and different opponents and we have to change the chip to be better physically and mentally.”
Man Utd‘s season went from bad to worse on Sunday when they suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham.
Many fans and pundits are now calling for Ten Hag to be sacked.
And SunSport understands the Dutchman has two games to save his job – tricky trips to Porto and Aston Villa.
Despite the ongoing speculation about his future, Ten Hag insists he is not worried about facing the axe.
He told Sky Sports: “I’m not thinking about it, I’m not anxious.
“We created a togetherness in the summer with the ownership and the leadership.
“We made this agreement, and we were all behind it. We know the strategy [is to bring in] young players in a transition period.
“They also know in May in all my last six seasons there were always trophies and that is what we are aiming for.”
Ten Hag also said: “We are going to make a success from the season.
“Nothing is easy, but this is nothing for me to panic about. We can sort [the problems] out, this team can sort this out.”
Man Utd ratings vs Tottenham
MANCHESTER UNITED suffered a 3-0 thrashing against Tottenham at Old Trafford.
Captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off in the first half for fouling James Maddison, forcing Erik Ten Hag’s side to play with 10 men against Ange Postecoglou’s team.
After back-to-back draws against Crystal Palace and FC Twente fans hoped United would redeem themselves against Spurs.
However, the match at Old Trafford quickly turned sour. Brennan Johnson scored early and things worsened when Fernandes was sent off allowing Spurs to extend their lead to 3-0.
And here is how SunSports Charlie Wyett rated the Manchester United stars.
Andre Onana – 5
Stood his ground to deliver a good save from Timo Werner who was clean through – no chance for either goal.
Noussair Mazraoui – 5
First in the refs’ book for chopping down Destiny Udogie. Could also have blocked Micky van de Ven for the goal. Just watched Solanke make it 3-0.
Matthijs de Ligt – 4
Shocking first half. Failed to cut out the cross from Micky van de Ven which led to the first goal.
Lisandro Martinez – 5
Switched off for the Spurs goal and was drawn to the ball and Johnson was left unmarked.
Diogo Dalot – 5
Gave the ball away in dangerous areas and struggled against Johnson.
Manuel Ugarte – 5
Suffered a stinker and was lucky to last until the 73rd minute.
Kobbie Mainoo – 5
Not one of his better performances and was taken off just before half-time following Fernandes’ sending-off.
Marcus Rashford – 5
Over-ran the ball for Tottenham’s first. Way off the pace.
Bruno Fernandes – 4
Arguably the worst captain in United’s history. Deserved red card for his challenge on James Maddison.
Alejandro Garnacho – 6
Had United’s only chance in the first half but hit the outside of the post. Improved in the second half.
Joshua Zirkzee – 5
Looked completely lost up front – threatening to be another poor Erik ten Hag signing. Replaced at half-time.
Subs:
Mount (for Mainoo 45) 5, Casemiro (for Zirkzee 46) 7, Hojlund (for Rashford 73) 5, Eriksen (for Ugarte 73) 5.