Man Utd Dud Should Follow Amorim Out the Door After Brighton FA Cup ‘Disgrace’

Old Trafford played host to Manchester United’s FA Cup tie with Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday evening and the visitors ran out 2-1 victors thanks to goals from Brajan Gruda and Danny Welbeck – and fans have turned on one player in particular in the immediate aftermath of being knocked out of the competition.

Fabian Hurzeler’s men soaked up the early pressure from the home side before finding an opener of their own through Gruda in the 12th minute. Welbeck, formerly of the Red Devils, then made it two in the second half, connecting sweetly with the ball with his left foot.

With Darren Fletcher in the Old Trafford dugout for the first time, United did enjoy plenty of possession – which resulted in a total of 18 shots on goal – but they were unable to cause much trouble for Jason Steele in the Brighton goal. That was until Benjamin Sesko’s header gave the home fans a glimmer of hope.

Ultimately, the Red Devils were unable to overturn a two-goal deficit and Brighton were crowned winners once the full-time whistle blew. After exiting the League Cup at the hands of Grimsby Town earlier this season, they are now out of the oldest competition in world football: the FA Cup.

In what will be another memorable night, albeit for all the wrong reasons, in a season of angst and confusion, there were very few United players who covered themselves in glory. Kobbie Mainoo conducted well in the middle of the pitch and Benjamin Sesko’s intelligent movement caused problems, but it was another encounter to forget for Diogo Dalot, who played right-back for Fletcher.

Signed in 2020 from boyhood club Porto, Dalot was initially enthused by the idea of playing under the stewardship of compatriot Jose Mourinho – and he’s managed to survive the testing times that have followed, including stints under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim.

In terms of Amorim, club sources confirmed a distant relationship between the former head coach and Dalot and supporters believed that is why the 26-year-old continued to play on the right flank.

Now, however, is the time to change things up. Despite possessing physical attributes like pace and athleticism, much of the frustration surrounding the Portugal international hones in on his poor decision-making, especially when he finds himself in the final third.

 Twice in the first half, Dalot – who spent much of the 2020/21 season on loan at AC Milan – found himself as the highest United player on the pitch, but he could not put the finishing touch on chances.

It’s time to move on; and sooner rather than later. For too long, Dalot has been able to go under the radar with his subpar performances but, when push comes to shove, he has not shown enough to be a regular at Old Trafford. Strengthening in that position should, therefore, be a priority for the club boardroom bosses moving forward.

‘Shockingly Bad’ – Man Utd Fans Pull No Punches in Diogo Dalot Assessment in Brighton Loss

For not the first time this season, Dalot has found himself on the receiving end of ample criticism from the Old Trafford faithful; many are of the belief that he should have left alongside Amorim when he was sacked in early January. “Should have put Dalot on the same flight as Amorim,” one commented as another added: “Dalot is not a football player. Should have gone with Amorim.”

Flummoxed about how Dalot is still on the books at Old Trafford given how poorly he has been for much of his time at the club, a third fan wrote: “Dalot is an insult to professional footballers.”

“Dalot might be the most frustrating player the game has ever seen. He’s good at those runs that get him into prime positions in the final third. But then he has to do something with the ball, and he can’t. Then there’s the 1v1 defending… May as well stick a scarecrow at RB.”

“Diogo Dalot is the worst footballer on the planet and that includes every pub Sunday League team in the country,” a fifth supporter added in the wake of exiting the FA Cup at the third round. The scathing assessments of Dalot’s display against the Seagulls continued as another added: “Dalot is a disgrace in this team.” A final fan said: “I wish Amorim dragged Dalot with him, absolutely useless football player.”