Diogo Dalot has thrown his support behind Harry Maguire to receive a new contract from Manchester United, hailing him as “one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League” when he’s on top form. Maguire’s current deal expires at the end of this season, with negotiations for a renewal underway. Since Michael Carrick’s temporary appointment, Maguire has been instrumental. The defender has featured in every match under the leadership of Carrick, who hinted at a potential contract extension last week.

And following the victory over Crystal Palace, Dalot shared with journalists: “I think he’s been showing during his career how strong he is mentally and physically and when he is in a good state of mind, and when he’s good physically with a good run of games I think is one of the best centre backs in the league. So I’m pretty sure that if he shows a good level, if it helps the team, it will be no problem for the club to keep him, but it’s not my decision, ultimately it will between them. But we’re very happy with him.”

Dalot lined up alongside Maguire as United triumphed over the Eagles on Sunday afternoon, marking a sixth victory in seven undefeated matches under Carrick. Palace took the lead courtesy of Maxence Lacroix in the first half, but the Frenchman turned the tide in the second half by fouling Matheus Cunha in the penalty area.

Bruno Fernandes dispatched the penalty before Benjamin Sesko scored the decisive winning goal. “He’s a very humble kid,” Dalot remarked when discussing the Slovenian striker. “You can see with the way he behaves, the way he is on the pitch. He always tries to be the best version of himself.

“Coming to a big club with big expectations, in a very important position for our team. I think he’s doing the right thing. He’s on the right path. We are very happy with the way that he’s working and how he is helping the team.

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“And you can see it as a striker. Fortunately and unfortunately, sometimes they live by goals, and he’s in a good run, so we’re very happy.”

Dalot has developed a close friendship with Sesko following his summer switch from RB Leipzig. “Yeah, it became natural,” he explained. “He’s an early bird as well, so the first few weeks we were coming into Carrington at the same time and we created this bond.

“We both have very similar ways of behaving and thinking, so it became a natural, good relationship, and I think that sometimes helps you to also adapt quickly to a new environment, to a new league, to a new country. So I think it was also good for him, but he also has a lot of teammates who I’m sure help him a lot.”

Dalot shares a close bond with his Portuguese compatriot, Fernandes. When questioned about whether some might undervalue the United skipper, the defender replied: “A little bit, I think. When you’re so consistent, when you play for many years at a very high level, sometimes, when you’re not there for one game, people start doubting, and people start always thinking that you should do that all the time.

“But that’s the most difficult thing in football. It’s [difficult] for you to be consistent during the whole season, whether you’re going to have ups and downs, but he’s always a player and person who shows up all the time, and he never hides, so I think that’s what this club needs.”

Dalot went on: “He keeps you alive during the game at every moment. He’s a player who can read the game really well and can read pretty much all the positions on the pitch. So he always likes to guide you on that. And if he has something that he believes he can help you with, he will say it, no problem.”

United climbed to third place in the Premier League standings as they maintained their pursuit of Champions League qualification for next term. “That’s the goal,” Dalot stated. “We are very conscious that for us to be able to do that, we have to do games like today, where you don’t control for 90 minutes, where sometimes you don’t play like you should, but you find ways to win.

“And I think that’s what defines sometimes those who stay at the top of the table and those who start dropping points and dropping places. We’ve been there, so I think this season, if we want to… To get to the end of the season and have the goal that we wanted, we need games like this.

“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 best seasons and this year we play, I don’t know, maximum 40 games because we came out of the cup even in the early stage.

“So this is nowhere near what the club should be, and the competitions that we should play in. 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, and we need to put the club back in there.”

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