Michael Carrick has defended Diogo Dalot after the Manchester United full-back conceded a penalty in Sunday’s chaotic 4-4 draw with Aston Villa at Old Trafford, insisting the Portugal international remains central to his plans despite a growing clamour from sections of the home crowd.
Dalot brought down a Villa attacker inside the box, allowing John McGinn to level from the spot in a match that swung repeatedly and was settled only when United scored twice in stoppage time to rescue a point. The 27-year-old was jeered by some supporters, who questioned whether he should keep his place.
Carrick refused to join the criticism. He said he understood the frustration in the stands but argued that Dalot, who has filled several positions this season, had simply made a mistake. “Diogo gives absolutely everything,” the manager said after the game, adding that he valued what the defender brought to the group and the dressing room. On whether Dalot would start the next match, Carrick was careful to separate selection from loyalty, calling it a different decision for a different game.
The draw was the latest sign of a season that has drifted far from the optimism of a few months ago. United went into the weekend 17th in the Premier League, with a single win from their opening nine matches, and the point against Villa was already their fifth draw of the campaign. For a side that finished third last season and returned to the Champions League, it is a startling fall.
The defensive numbers explain much of the slump. United had conceded 15 goals in nine league games before kick-off, one of the weakest records in the division, and shipped four more against Villa. Carrick acknowledged the problem without dressing it up, saying his team keep giving away avoidable goals in tight spells and are making life harder for themselves. “Football’s about moments,” he said, pointing to lapses in both boxes as the difference between winning and dropping points.
The contrast with last season is stark. Carrick took interim charge in January and oversaw a revival that lifted United from seventh to third, winning 11 of 16 games and beating Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool along the way. That run earned him a permanent contract until 2028 and fed talk of a genuine recovery, with captain Bruno Fernandes named the division’s player of the season. Seven months on, the same core of players is scrapping in the bottom half.
Carrick rejected the suggestion that his players were switching off, describing the goals they concede as a mix of one-off errors rather than a single recurring fault. He insisted there was more than enough quality in the squad to climb the table, while conceding it was something they had to improve on quickly.
There was a further blow in defence, with Harry Maguire withdrawn at half-time. Carrick confirmed the centre-back had suffered a bad back spasm and described it as a fresh problem, giving no timeline for his return.
The point at least steadied a difficult run, and the international break may prove well timed. Carrick said the pause would give his squad room to regroup and prepare, suggesting he remained clear about where the team needed to go even as results kept testing patience. For United, the coming weeks look pivotal, with the margin for error already thin and the early promise of the Carrick era under real strain.