Story byDiogo Dalot issues rallying cry amid United’s injury crisisThe Peoples PersonMon, December 22, 2025 at 5:30 AM UTC·3 min readDespite a spirited display, Manchester United succumbed to a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa away at Villa Park on Sunday. It was already an uphill battle given the absence of Amad, Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire, and Casemiro. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMatters were made worse by Kobbie Mainoo’s absence from the matchday squad, yet the players gamely carried on and fought tooth and nail. In fact, they enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession and created more clear-cut chances. If not for Matheus Cunha’s point-blank miss in the second-half, the Red Devils would have come away with a point. Spirited displayThe pressing from the front created all sorts of problems for the hosts, and a bit more quality on the ball could have made the difference on another night. Diogo Dalot, who started as the right wingback in Amad’s absence, explained to Sky Sports after the game, “We had good moments in the game. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We kept pressing them high and knew they wanted to play long and if we won the second ball we could control the game. I think we did it quite well in the first half with one or two chances. Injury crisis“They had a great first goal and credit to Morgan Rogers, it was a great goal.