Diogo Dalot embraces Europa League 'pressure', makes accurate observation about Man Utd fans ahead of crucial tie

Manchester United still have a lot to play for this season.

Although it has been a turbulent campaign, with Manchester United sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table, there is still a chance for Ruben Amorim’s side to qualify for the Champions League.

United can salvage their season by winning the Europa League but they have more hurdles to jump before they can think about the final in Bilbao.

On Thursday night, Lyon host United in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final. The Reds are expecting a more physical contest than what they got in the previous round, beating Real Sociedad 5-2 on aggregate.

United are the only remaining unbeaten team across the Europa League and Champions League this season and it’s a record Amorim will want to maintain.

Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images

Diogo Dalot learned to cope with Manchester United pressure

In his seventh season at United, the 26-year-old has come a long way since his transfer from FC Porto, when he arrived at Old Trafford with high expectations.

Dalot has won two trophies as a United player, including the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, but he is waiting for his first taste of European success at club level.

The Portugal international has played in all of United’s 10 games in Europe this season, scoring against FSCB in the league phase and Real Sociedad in the round of 16.

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Speaking to ManUtd.com ahead of United’s trip to Lyon, Dalot stressed that he is eager to feed off the supporters’ energy from the stands, after making the accurate observation that we are all desperate for Europa League success this season.

“You can feel when we are playing Europa League games that the club and the fans really want it,” Dalot told club media.

“So we just need to combine that energy and put it on the pitch to get towards the goal that we want.

“The pressure is always there at United. You start the season and you can see that the expectation is always that Man United has to fight for every trophy. So, it’s something normal, but obviously, it will have a little bit extra because you know that if you win the Europa League you can play Champions League next year.

“I think at the same time that that little extra pressure has to give you motivation to actually do it and actually want to do it, so I look at it like that.”

The biggest difference from the atmosphere in the Europa League is in the last Europa League clash at Old Trafford – versus Real Sociedad – ‘The Red Army’ (TRA) let off 50 red, white and black smoke canisters before the game in front of the Stretford End.

On top of that, a giant surfer flag was unveiled across the Stretford End. This was all done in a bid to boost the atmosphere for a big European night at Old Trafford.

Dalot on dealing with scrutiny

There isn’t one football club in England that gets the same attention as Manchester United. The same could be said across most countries in the world when it comes to the beautiful game.

It’s not always beautiful, though, as you can see from United’s current league position.

Dalot has had to deal with lots of criticism as a United player, perhaps more so this season than ever before, yet he remains a key figure in Amorim’s line-up most weeks.

“You cannot teach a player, manager or member of staff how it is to be a Manchester United player or a person working at this club,” he added.

“You only realise once you arrive here. You can have an idea but once you step in, then you realise how big this club is, how much the pressure is and you start knowing how to deal with this type of situation. Obviously I’ve been here for quite a while now and have been through every scenario, I would say. I always try to keep really balanced, and I think that’s the best way of being consistent.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re unbeaten if you don’t win it. Hopefully we can be unbeaten until the end, and win it! But it’s a good sign that we’ve been doing really well this season in the Europa League and we want to keep going until we play in Bilbao.”

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