Manchester United are in a positive position to qualify for next season’s Champions League after Michael Carrick sparked a stunning comeback at Old Trafford.
Diogo Dalot has sent a powerful message to his Man United team-mates (Image: Getty Images)
Diogo Dalot has warned his Manchester United teammates not to take for granted the importance of Champions League football. The Red Devils have failed to finish at the top of Europe’s table for the past two seasons.
They reached the Europa League final last season, but lost to Tottenham. As a result, United are unable to qualify for this season’s Champions League.
Michael Carrick led the team to third place and is well placed to return to competition next season. Defender Diogo Dalot has reminded his colleagues that their goal must be to qualify for the Champions League between now and the end of the season.
He said: “I think seasons like this are good for us to know that when we play in the Europa League and especially the Champions League, our best years are our best seasons.”
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“This year, I don’t know, we will play a maximum of 40 games because we were eliminated from the cup early on. This is far from what the club should be and the competitions we should be in.”
He added: “So when we are there, when we have scored the main goals that we believe we will definitely achieve next season, we cannot take them for granted if we are playing in the Champions League. We need to get the club back to that position.”
Dalot’s teammate Bruno Fernandes also made a judgment call about United’s lack of European football this season. He recently admitted that he is struggling with not being able to play in this season’s Champions League.
Speaking after the win against Crystal Palace, he said: “That would be a big deal, because this season we’re just playing one game a week and it’s a real struggle. At least it was for me!”
Fernandes also spoke about United’s desire to return to the Champions League (Image: Getty Images)
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“And I’m sure there are some players who are playing less because they don’t have as many games. It’s even harder to rotate. I think everyone needs an opportunity to play, but when you have (only) games every week, it’s more difficult for a manager to make a lot of changes and give them more opportunities.”
“When you play in Europe, the more games you have to play, the more important it is that the team understands that everyone is so important at every moment of the season. That is still the case, but more games means more chances to play.
“And above all, to play in the best competition in the world, the Champions League, and to play in a competition in which the club has a great history.”
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