A year ago, Saudi professional league star Cristiano Ronaldo praised one Manchester United player in particular during a fascinating interview with TalkTV host Piers Morgan
Paul Scholes believes Diogo Dalot “fell asleep” during Manchester United’s 4-3 defeat at Copenhagen on Wednesday.
Erik ten Hag’s side suffered their third defeat in four Champions League games with defeat in Denmark. The visitors built a two-goal lead after Rasmus Hoylund scored twice, but their situation was in jeopardy after Marcus Rashford was sent off in the first half.
Mohamed Elyounoussi and Diogo Goncalves scored on the stroke of half-time to make it 2-2 before Bruno Fernandez restored United’s lead from the penalty spot. But late goals from Lukas Reilager and 17-year-old Rooney Baddji sealed victory for Copenhagen.
Scholes felt the responsibility for Laelage’s equalizer was Dalot’s fault, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo a bit embarrassed. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner singled out Dalot for praise in a controversial interview with Piers Morgan a year ago, which led to his success at Manchester United.
Dalot scored Copenhagen’s third goal when he failed to track down his marker Leilage, allowing the midfielder to tap home with ease. Scholes was watching the game as a pundit for TNT Sports and was asked if United fell apart in the final 10 minutes, when they conceded twice.
“I was disappointed and where they did fall apart a bit was when they conceded a goal, it seemed like there was another one right away,” Scholes explained in his post-match analysis. “They were 2-0 up and that was It happened again and then they conceded in the 83rd minute and Dalot fell asleep – he needs to know where his attacking players are.
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“I don’t feel like there’s a role in the team. You need someone to say, we’ve conceded a goal, that’s okay, but let’s make sure we don’t concede another one. There didn’t seem to be a leader who stopped the second goal from happening , they have paid the price.”
Scholes’ criticism comes after Ronaldo praised Dalot’s professionalism. The veteran striker singled out the young defender during his famous chat with Morgan, criticizing several current and former United staff, including Ten Hag.
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In the weeks following that interview, Ronaldo left Old Trafford by mutual consent and now plays in Saudi Arabia. Asked whose attitude he admired most, Ronaldo said: “It’s a difficult question to answer because I can only say what I see in my eyes.”
“If you asked me what I thought about Manchester United, I would probably mention Dalot. Diogo Dalot is an example. He is young but he is very, very professional. I have no doubt that he will have longevity in football because He’s young, he’s smart and he’s very professional. You have a few more… but I would say Dalot.”
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