Jose Mourinho prediction about one Man Utd player comes true – six years after he made it

Jose Mourinho has been hailed by Manchester United fans for signing Diogo Dalot and for predicting a bright future for the full-back at the club.

Dalot joined United in a £19million move from Porto back in June 2018 after making just eight first-team appearances for his boyhood club. He initially found it difficult to break into Mourinho’s side, with veteran Antonio Valencia playing at right-back, but his manager was convinced of his qualities.

“Diogo is an extremely talented young defender with all the qualities to quickly become a great player for this club,” he said upon his arrival. “He has all the attributes that a full-back needs: physicality, tactical intelligence and technical quality, combined with a Porto academy mentality which prepares players for the maturity they need at the professional level. In his age group, he is the best full-back in Europe and we all believe he has a bright future ahead of him at Manchester United.”

Dalot made his debut against Young Boys in the Champions League in September 2018 and once again received some glowing praise from his manager. “Everyone can see the potential and everyone could see he’s a 19-year-old player who has more than 10 years to play for Manchester United,” Mourinho said confidently.

Even before the game, Mourinho was pumping up his tyres. “His first match last season was big, a Portuguese derby – Porto v Sporting – and then three days later he played against Liverpool in the Champions League too,” he told BT Sport. “He’s a strong personality and has almost 100 caps at youth levels for the Portuguese national teams. It’s a very good opportunity for him.”

Fast-forward five and a half years – after a season-long loan with AC Milan in 2020/21 – and United fans are convinced Mourinho was right all along. Dalot has been a fixture at right-back for Erik ten Hag this season and has been one of the most consistent performers.

One fan wrote on Twitter: “Mourinho was right all along when he said Dalot was a right back for the next 10 years.” Another wrote: “How is Dalot not unanimously loved within the fan base? Technical, versatile, athletic, fit, reliable, professional, smart, ambitious and loves the club. What else do you want?”

Dalot also earned praise for his post-match interview following the dramatic 4-3 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-final. “It was really special today,” he told Sony Sports Network after the game. “Not only the result but the atmosphere probably I have never experienced since I arrived at this club. It was probably the best moment at Old Trafford for me.

“The scenes I saw – a lot of people crying, I saw people showing their emotions and appreciating the effort we put into that game. This makes me think this is why I came here; this is why every little kid dreams of playing for Manchester United. They have this special magic inside the stadium, which I cannot describe what it is and you have to come here and watch a game.”