Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot has withdrawn from Portugal’s squad due to injury.
Dalot would have been hoping to start at least one of his country’s two games this month, against Armenia and Hungary, but has experienced muscle discomfort in training.
The full back was one of only three United players to start against both Grimsby Town and Burnley in quick succession—Matheus Cunha was another and limped out of the latter after 31 minutes.
The club will be hoping that pulling out of international duty and returning to Manchester has helped avoid a more serious injury. Bruno Fernandes remains with the Portugal squad.
It remains to be seen if Dalot will be ruled out of any club games. How long Cunha could be sidelined is also unknown, although the Brazilian posted a positive update on social media. Mason Mount was the other player who couldn’t finish the Burnley clash, a precautionary withdrawal at half-time.
Dalot played on the right flank in United’s first three games of the season, starting two of them an replacing Amad Diallo at wing back in the Fulham draw. But he was utilised on the left against Burnley, with Ruben Amorim opting to drop Patrick Dorgu to the bench.
Should Dalot be unavailable for the return of club football later this month—United face a Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium on September 14—Dorgu would likely return on the left.
Since struggling under Ole Gunnar Solskjær and spending the 2020–21 season on loan at AC Milan, Dalot has been one of the first names on the team sheet over the past couple of years. He won the club’s Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award for 2023–24, as voted for by his colleagues, and has earned deserved respect for his willingness to face up to the media after poor results.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd Suffer Diogo Dalot Blow, Adds to Existing Injury Concerns.
