Rio Ferdinand Presents

In this episode of Rio Meets, Rio sits down with one of Manchester United’s most resilient figures - Diogo Dalot. From being questioned, scapegoated and loaned out… to wearing the captain’s armband at Old Trafford - Dalot opens up like never before.

Enjoy this episode where Manchester United’s second longest serving player takes you behind the scenes of some of the most tumultuous times at the club.

He offers a surprising review of Ruben Amorim’s tenure at the club and reveals why he thinks it’s one of “the most important periods” at Manchester United after detailing why all of Michael Carrick’s coaching staff are having such a positive impact.

When Rio asks him about the impact of negative comments and reaction, Dalot discusses how his toughest season turned out to be one of the favourite moments of his career and why Kobbie Mainoo’s experience out of the side will hugely benefit the young midfielder.

As a team mate of Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal and formerly of Manchester United, Dalot reveals how a 5 minute conversation with the United legend persuaded him to stay at the club and why Bruno Fernandes is “factually” one of the best players in the Premier League.

He also reveals what leadership looks like amongst the dressing room after the demands of Ruben Amorim changed the dynamic and discipline within the squad.
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Rio is joined by Ste and Joel to look back at a weekend which saw Trent Alexander-Arnold be compared to David Beckham, Harry Kane beat Cristiano Ronaldo to a momentus milestone and the dust settled on Thomas Tuchel’s contract extension as England manager.

With the title race taking a break for the FA Cup, Ste doesn’t take a break in analysing Arsena’s title credentials catching up with Joel for the first time since Arteta’s side dropped points at Brentford. Rio points out the key role of players within the dressing room who maintain perspective and are able to remain calm in this type of high-pressure situation.

Joel poses the question about whether German football fans are more appreciative of England striker Harry Kane than supporters of the national team and Rio heaps praise on the forward who beat Ronaldo by ten matches to score 500 career goals.

Ste and Joel produce various different stats when analysing the performance of Trent while Rio details why his passing ability is a skill that can often be under rated and appreciated considering all of the factors that are required to excel at that part of the game.

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With Joel taking in the Super Bowl, Ashley Williams joins Ste Howson and Rio to provide an outsider’s view of the improvement under Michael Carrick.

With 745 Premier League appearances as ball-playing defenders between them, Ash and Rio analyse why Lisandro Martinez is becoming one of the most important players in possession in the way Michael Carrick wants his team to play.

Rio addresses Kobbie Mainoo directly after questioning the reasons behind the lack of appearances under previous manager Ruben Amorim and points to team mates Matheus Cunha and Diogo Dalot as other examples of players who are thriving under new management.

Rio admits he is struggling to understand why Roy Keane still has such a downer on Michael Carrick as manager of the club and details the importance of Manchester City’s late, dramatic win over Liverpool at Anfield for both Arsenal and Pep Guardiola’s side when it comes to the title race.

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Following the third positive weekend in a row for Michael Carrick as Manchester United manager, Rio is joined by Ste Howson and Joel Beya to analyse what’s different about the players and the performance.

There’s discussion about the difference between Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton following another impressive performance by the United academy graduate along with the reasons behind the improvement shown by Sesko and why there’s so much love from all his team mates.

Bruno Fernandes has been one of the most consistent players in the Premier League over the last 6 seasons so Ste compares the level of credit the Portuguese midfielder gets compared to another player who performed well individually in a poorer team - Steven Gerrard.

Rio also reveals why he feels Liam Rosenior is getting unfairly treated for the things he says to the media and why Arteta doesn’t really mean that he wants his players to play with more freedom and why Kai Havertz’s return from injury is a huge positive for Viktor Gyokeres.
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Rio comes in HOT after another statement victory for Manchester United, following up a win over Manchester City with victory at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal. With a huge improvement in form and positivity around the club since sacking Ruben Amorim, the conversation quickly turns to why Michael Carrick should not be judged through the same lens as Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
From Arsenal supporters' growing tension to Arteta’s obsession with control, the lack of freedom for Bukayo Saka and whether this really is a “now or never” moment — this episode pulls no punches on the Gunner's race for the title.

Rio compares Arteta’s Arsenal to Klopp’s Liverpool and Mourinho’s Chelsea, arguing this isn’t about tactics — it’s about personality, leadership, and dressing-room energy. He then focuses on why Saka, in particular, needs reminding of the basics — discussing the need for freedom over fear.

There’s also a comparison to what Ruben Amorim did with the same players which contrasts with how Michael Carrick is getting them to perform - Ste and Rio come up with and investigate those differences - paying particular attention to Patrick Dorgu, Kobbie Mainoo and Diogo Dalot
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