“It pinched me” – Man Utd star reveals how Ruben Amorim’s recent statements hit a nerve

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim had recently lamented the lack of leaders in the dressing room, and it stimulated a positive reaction from Diogo Dalot.

After losing four matches on the bounce on the back of lacklustre displays, one could hardly fault the manager for the assessment he made less than two months after taking over a club that is in a sorry state.

But in hindsight, the 39-year-old’s comments weren’t only accurate, but arguably necessary to spark a response on the pitch, at least as evidenced by the team’s valiant display in Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

At a time when the odds were stacked against them, the Red Devils roared to deliver their best outing in a long while, pushing league leaders Liverpool to the limit. The back-and-forth affair ended in a 2-2 draw, but United had several chances to win it, including one in the last minute that went begging as Harry Maguire couldn’t hit the target.

Ruben Amorim conjured a positive reaction out of Diogo Dalot

But while they returned to Manchester with only one point in the bag, their display was arguably worth much more, as the players have finally showcased character, tenacity and desire to win.

After the contest, Dalot revealed that Amorim’s call for leaders did hit a nerve.

“It pinched me. That’s what he wants for every player. I’ve been here for a while. I know I can step up a little bit more and I’m going to try to help my teammates for as long as I can. As long as I’m on the pitch and outside the pitch, I will try to help them. You could see that we were more of a team.” said the former AC Milan via The Mirror.

“I think we showed that we want to get out of the situation,” said Dalot. “To get out of it, the minimum we need to show is the attitude that we showed against Liverpool – the fighting spirit, the winning duels, showing that it is going to be a tough day for a club like Liverpool.

“We knew that the only way to come out of the game proud of ourselves was if we had the right attitude, fighting for the result and I think, to be honest, that we could have won it. You need to do this every game and be dominant.”

The Portugal international put on a superb outing on the left wing against Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, making himself a protagonist on both ends of the pitch.