There were plenty of positives for Jose Mourinho against Young Boys on Wednesday night, but none more so than the performance of Diogo Dalot.
The 19-year-old defender caught the eye after being thrust into the first team for his debut in Switzerland as United earned a comfortable 3-0 win in their Champions League opener.
Antonio Valencia was left out due to concerns over him playing on the plastic pitch, but fans – and Mourinho – already believe Dalot can be his long-term successor.
Diogo Dalot controls the ball during his debut for Manchester United on Wednesday evening
The 19-year-old defender impressed as United beat Young Boys in the Champions League
The young right back, who cost £19million from Porto in the summer, arrived at Old Trafford after undergoing knee surgery in May and needed time to recover.
But his display in Bern gave every indication that he is now ready to push Valencia for his position and help United challenge in both Europe and the Premier League.
Speaking after the game, Mourinho said: ‘I want to be also nice to Luke [Shaw] because I think both play at the same level. I think Diogo and Shaw, they played very, very, well.
‘Our danger came from both, both of them. They had fantastic movement, they had depth, they had crosses, they had assists.
‘They were involved in the most dangerous actions and they defended also well. So I think both of them, they were very, very good.
‘But of course Luke is here for a few years, he’s playing since the beginning of the season and for Diogo first match for the club after a knee surgery. I think very good, solid performance.
‘I think everyone could see the potential and everyone could see that he’s a 19-year-old player who has more than 10 years to play for Manchester United.’
Mourinho’s words will come as no surprise to those who witnessed Dalot’s confident debut at the Stade de Suisse.
The Portugal Under 21 star showed a willingness to get forward and attack, using his pace to take on and beat Young Boys defender Loris Benito three times early on.
He swung four crosses into the box and found a team-mate with a solid 84.8 per cent of his 33 passes. Dalot also made three interceptions and gave away just one free-kick on the night.
Although he got away with a slip when Christian Fassnacht got the ball stuck under his feet with the score level at 0-0, Dalot’s performance was full of promise.
‘Very impressive start by Diogo Dalot, comfortable on the ball. Breaks up play well, good going forward, first time since Gary Neville finished that Manchester United have had a natural right back,’ wrote one United fan on Twitter.
Others also praised the youngster’s debut, with former Old Trafford favourite Rio Ferdinand describing Dalot’s first start as ‘very impressive’.
And among at least a section of United’s support, Valencia’s time as first-choice right back appears to be nearing its end.
‘Dalot doing more for United’s right back position in five minutes than Valencia has done in three years,’ wrote another supporter during the early stages of the game.
One fan claimed that it ‘took Dalot 70 seconds to put in a better cross than Valencia has in two seasons’, while another wrote ‘Diogo Dalot has already run past his full back more times in 45 minutes than Valencia since 2011.’
It is still early days for Dalot at United, with Valencia almost certain to return to the starting XI for Saturday’s home game against Wolves.
But after making an impression during his first 90 minutes for the club, hopes are high for a player who appears to have many of the raw attributes to become a regular for the next decade.
And, at just £19m, that would make him one of the bargains of the summer.