Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot has warned teammates not to take Champions League football for granted, as the club pushes for a top-four Premier League finish under Michael Carrick. Echoing captain Bruno Fernandes' recent comments after the win over Crystal Palace, Dalot highlighted the benefits of Europe's elite competition after two seasons away.
Manchester United are third in the Premier League, mounting a strong challenge to return to the Champions League following last season's Europa League final defeat to Tottenham, which denied them a direct spot.
In remarks on March 2, 2026, Dalot stressed the value of top-tier European football amid this season's lighter schedule: "I think seasons like this are good for you to know that when you're playing Europa League and especially Champions League, those are the best years, those are the best seasons. This year we play, I don't know, maximum 40 games because we came out of the cups even in the early stage, so this is nowhere near what the club should be and the competitions that we should play in."
He added: "So when we are there, when we get the main goal that I really believe that we're going to do next season, if we're playing Champions League, we cannot take for granted. We need to put the club back in there."
Dalot's views align with Fernandes, who after the 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace that boosted United to third, noted the difficulties of fewer games and the rotation benefits of European matches (see related article in series). These comments reflect the squad's focus on reclaiming United's historic place in the competition.
