AC Milan's Man Utd loanee Diogo Dalot can't hide his admiration of Celtic's history

By Euan Davidson

December 2, 2020

On-loan A.C. Milan star Diogo Dalot has claimed that Thursday night’s Europa League clash will be ” tough match against a very good team.”

Dalot, signed by José Mourinho for £19.8m in 2018 (via Transfermakt), has found playing time hard to come by at his parent club, Manchester United. However, the ex-Porto full-back is enjoying his spell in Milan.

Looking forward to the game against Celtic at the San Siro, Dalot said (via MilanNews):

“We know Celtic has a good history in European competitions. It’s a tough match against a very good team. They’ll be coming motivated.”

“We have a very good philosophy in terms of daily work at this club. We think game by game, we will try to win against Celtic, then we will shift our attention to the next game. This is the right mindset, and with it we can achieve great things this season.”

Something to prove

Dalot has made 7 appearances for Stefano Pioli’s Milan team this season, making 4 of those in the Europa League. In Group H, he has made 2 goal contributions, scoring once and laying on an assist.

Since Manchester United’s signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, the young Portuguese defender has found limited opportunities under Solksjaer.

Spending the year with a resurgent Rossoneri, the defender will be looking to make a name for himself at club and international level.

Dalot only made 6 appearances for in the Liga NOS for Porto, but clearly it was enough for top scouts to pay attention. It was certainly enough for José Mourinho, United’s former manager, to take notice.

Zlatan will be missing against Celtic / (Photo by MB Media/Getty Images)

How Milan will look

Milan will be without Zlatan Ibrahimović, who is suffering from a muscle problem (Daily Record). However, the Italian giants do have the return of Ismael Bennacer in midfield to look forward to, with a potential selection headache awaiting Stefano Pioli.

A.C. Milan’s frightening midfield options include Hakan Calhanoglu, Franck Kessié, Brahim Diaz and Sandro Tonali. On the wing, Ante Rebic has done the business during his loan spell. However, Samu Castillejo and Rafael Leão are also set to miss out.

Milan need a win, and with a motivated Dalot behind a classy creative midfield, it could be very hard for the Bhoys in the San Siro tomorrow night.