-
Diogo Dalot explains Antony ‘handshake’ celebration after Man Utd duo run Nottingham Forest ragged.
Diogo Dalot has opened up about his close relationship with Antony after the duo fired Manchester United for a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Antony set up Dalot`s goal for United at the City Ground after a tremendous piece of skill and the duo celebrated the strike by shaking hands.
Antony had already set United on the path to victory with a close-range finish in the first half and Dalot’s goal effectively clinched the three points.
“It’s our thing, I’m happy I have a good relationship with him, he’s a fantastic kid, I like to be around him,” Dalot told reporters. “We spoke today that he was going to score, we were not expecting I was going to score as well, we both did and we were happy with that.”
Antony has struggled to justify his £85 million price tag in his first season at Old Trafford and until Sunday had not scored in the Premier League since October, while he had no assists in the league. Dalot said he is slowly but surely settling in.
“I think everybody is seeing he’s getting his rewards now,” the defender explained. “He works very hard every day to be at this top level. He fights for the team, he is a team player for sure I think everybody can see that and he’s getting his rewards. I’m sure he will be very helpful for us, today he showed with the goal and the assist that he’s a very important player for us.”
Dalot added: “I tried my best [to help Antony adapt], I was not the main character on his journey so far, he was and he still is, but I think everybody helped him to get comfortable. He knew the manager already, so he knew how he likes to play and how he wants to play, we tried to help him settle in quickly and we’re very happy with him.”
United travel to Sevilla in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday after drawing 2-2 last week at Old Trafford.