Revealed: How CR7 Inspired Man Utd Recent Form – Dalot

Diogo Dalot, Manchester United defender, has talked about the influence Cristiano Ronaldo had on him at Old Trafford.

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

READ ALSO: ‘Everyone Wants To Be Like CR7’ – How Cristiano Ronaldo Remains Unique

The defender claimed that during their time together at the club, some of Ronaldo’s habits “passed on” to him, and he now adheres to a rigid daily schedule. This covers recuperation, exercise, and diet.

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.”

Dalot has been a standout performer for United during the season, even if the team had another generally dismal 2023–24 campaign.

The 37 Premier League games this season have seen the Portuguese international play in 35 of them. In those 35 games, he has one goal and 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.

Now, Dalot and his United teammates will aim to end the season as high as possible. With a victory over Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, the Red Devils, who are now tied for seventh position with Newcastle United on points, might pass the Magpies.

In addition, the team will be focused on the FA Cup final, which will take place at Wembley Stadium on May 25 and pit them against their local rivals, Manchester City.