Former Manchester United winger Lee Sharpe has urged his old club to replace one of their longest-serving players in the January transfer window, in what would be somewhat of a shock move.
United are in the midst of revamping Ruben Amorim’s squad after a disastrous 2024/25 campaign and spent the summer largely focusing on their forward line, with the additions of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.
And while new No.1 goalkeeper Senne Lammens was also added at the other end of the pitch, TEAMtalk have been told that the centre-back position will also be addressed in 2026.
Sharpe, however, thinks Man Utd need to look at the wing-back positions and Diogo Dalot in particular, when it comes to upgrading Amorim’s first XI.
Dalot has been a largely reliable presence in the Red Devils defence since his £19m move from Porto in 2018.
At the time, Jose Mourinho described Dalot as the ‘best young full-back in Europe’, but Sharpe believes he now needs replacing.
“Both Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu have struggled at left wing-back for Manchester United this season,” Sharpe told Adventure Gamers.
“I’ve always thought Dalot is a bit sloppy in his decision-making at times – he gives the ball away cheaply and gets caught out of position defensively.
“I also don’t think he gets close enough to wingers when they’re crossing the ball, so there’s a few things in his game that I feel need improving.
“I think it’s an area Manchester United would want to look at in January or next summer.
“Dorgu looks like he could become quite a good player, but he’s had a couple of injuries and is a bit inconsistent with his form, so he’s not quite ready to be relied on just yet.”
Dalot is currently United’s second longest-serving player behind Luke Shaw, who arrived at the club in 2014, and has made over 200 appearances for the club.
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