Diogo Dalot has long been tipped as one of Portugal's brightest prospects... for £17.4m, Manchester United may have got a bargain
* At 16, full back Diogo Dalot started training with the Porto first team
* He has been a target for teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Napoli and Juventus
* Jose Mourinho said he is the best full back of his age, and he isn't the only one
Diogo Dalot has been one of the hottest prospects in Portuguese football for several years, after signing for Benfica at the age of eight.
He spent several weeks training in Lisbon, but the 186 miles he had to do twice a week made his parents change his life and accept other proposal, from Porto, in 2008.
Year after year he was always considered the top prospect from Porto's academy and at 16 he started training with the first team at the request of coach Julen Lopetegui, who knew him from the days he worked with the youth teams from Spain, and played against him.
Diogo Dalot has been one of the hottest prospects in Portuguese football for several years. At 16 he started training with the Porto first team at the request of coach Julen Lopetegui
He only started playing in Porto's first team this year, making eight appearances and helping his team to win the Portuguese league, with new Leicester full-back Ricardo Pereira as first choice.
However he was a starter for Porto's B team, in the second division, and also for the Portuguese under-21s.
Since last year he has been a target for teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona - who saw a £10m bid rejected - Napoli and Juventus, mostly because of his performances in the UEFA Youth League. This year, he scored two goals and provided three assists in five games in that competition.
He's the perfect footballer for Jose Mourinho. He likes to work, he is addicted to football, and, most of all, likes to improve. His role model is Cristiano Ronaldo, he demands perfection, and is always the last one to leave the pitch in training.
Dalot has been a target for teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Napoli and Juventus. Mourinho said that he is the best full back of his age, and he isn't the only one with that opinion. Seeing all the money spent by big teams in recent years, £17.4m could prove to be a bargain
Usually he is a right-back, but he also can play left-back (he played this role at Anfield, against Liverpool, in the Champions league) and also featured as a right midfielder this and last season.
His best strengths are pace, acceleration, dribbling, tackling and crossing, and also has very good ball control and technique. Very athletic and powerful, he is a modern full-back, with lots of confidence, and is equally competent offensively as defensively.
He's also low maintenance, preferring to spend time with his family rather than going out partying.
Mourinho said that he is the best full back in his age group, and he isn't the only one with that opinion. He was named in the team of the tournament for the under-17 European Championship in 2016, and the under-19 competition in 2017 that Portugal won.
Back then he was praised by David Ginola, acting as a TV pundit. 'I already knew him. He his very powerful and knows what to the in the pitch. He is very grown up for his age. Porto has an amazing prospect on his youth team', Ginola said in 2017.
Miguel Layun, Porto wing back, also held him in high regard. 'With his potential, character and personality, he can go as far as he wants. I will see him as one of the best in the world in a few years' time', said the Mexican.
Sergio Conceição, the coach at Porto, said a few weeks ago: 'Without Ricardo, who is leaving us, I have all the confidence in Dalot. He's only 19 years old but has a older mentality. He will be great in the next couple of years'.
Seeing all the money spent by the biggest teams in recent years, £17.4m could prove to be a bargain.
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