Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is in contention to return to Manchester United more than four years after his first spell as manager came to an end and is in line for some reunions
As speculation mounts around a potential Old Trafford comeback for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, focus has shifted to the players who know the Norwegian from his previous spell in the dugout. One such player, Diogo Dalot, has already delivered a telling response to Solskjaer’s private doubts and now has an opportunity to display his progress under recent managers.
Dalot arrived at the club during summer 2018, during what would prove to be Jose Mourinho’s final transfer window at the helm before his dismissal in December of that year. Mourinho’s sacking led to Solskjaer’s appointment, initially on a temporary basis, with Dalot seeing his opportunities limited.
After securing the role permanently, Solskjaer received transfer backing and amongst his earliest decisions was spending £50million on new right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka. This hardly demonstrated faith in Dalot, who subsequently spent more than one spell out through injury throughout the 2019/20 campaign and managed just four Premier League outings in his second United season.
Sources at the time suggested Solskjaer’s worry was that Dalot “couldn’t defend,” with those comments later making it out into the open after being overheard. On one notable occasion, Solskjaer was willing to give Timothy Fosu-Mensah a first United start in three years rather than trust Dalot against Crystal Palace in July 2020.
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Dalot spent the 2020/21 season on loan at AC Milan, even facing his parent club United in the Europa League last 16. He never abandoned hope of reviving his Old Trafford prospects, though, despite celebrating Simon Kjaer’s late equaliser for the Italian side in that European clash.
The defender was primarily used as a substitute at the beginning of the 2021/22 campaign but earned starting opportunities after Solskjaer was dismissed and Ralf Rangnick assumed interim control. By the conclusion of that season, United were willing to entertain offers for Wan-Bissaka but not for Dalot, who had become a more valuable part of the squad.
“I feel like I’m a Man United player,” the full-back said during United’s pre-season tour of Australia that summer. “But obviously work every single day to play. I wanna be ready for the manager, for the club, and every time he needs me I’m gonna be there.”
Erik ten Hag took over after Rangnick’s interim spell, with the Dutch manager maintaining confidence in Dalot before fellow full-back Wan-Bissaka was sold to West Ham in 2024. Ruben Amorim was equally impressed by the defender, who made a 150th Premier League outing earlier this season.
Sporadic doubts about Dalot’s defensive capabilities have persisted, though not enough to seriously threaten his position in the side. That blend of defensive solidity and attacking threat seemed to impress Amorim, who was willing to deploy him on both flanks in his wing-back formation.
Dalot’s next challenge will come if, as has been suggested, Solskjaer makes his return to Old Trafford. He made a mere 10 Premier League starts under the Norwegian across nearly three years, including one campaign away on loan, yet he has made considerable progress since then and persuaded multiple United managers that he offers significant value as a full-back – or wing-back – on either side.
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
