Diogo Dalot has declared that Manchester United harbour no fear of their local rivals, Manchester City, as they prepare to go head-to-head with them in the FA Cup final this weekend for a second successive season.
Despite acknowledging the dominance of Pep Guardiola's side in recent years, Dalot insists that Erik ten Hag's squad are not intimidated.
The defender believes that being cast as underdogs only fuels United's determination to cause an upset at Wembley. They lost the same match last year 2-1. "City dominated so much the last few years, they created this fear factor," said Dalot.
"But when you're playing United against City, I don't believe they come in with the idea that we fear them." He added that both teams would need to be at their very finest level for the match.
Dalot also suggested that the widely-held expectation of a City victory could work in United's favour. "For me personally, it gives me more energy," he said.
"You shouldn't be the underdog when you're at Manchester United. But at the same time, we're facing a team that has been dominating English football - whether we like it or not - and we want to be there. We want to be the team in the future that everyone thinks is going to win automatically.
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"I've been at this club for a while now and I want that feeling of dominance in every game and in every competition we play, everywhere we go.
"So the energy here has to be 'Okay, if they think they're going to win, let's see if they're going to do it' and that's the kind of push I'm trying to give my team-mates. We're going there with the right mentality.
Dalot, who was named Players' Player of the Year by his United colleagues, referred to this Sunday's final as the "game of the season" for United.
A victory would not only prevent City from achieving the double, but it would also secure a Europa League spot for Erik ten Hag's struggling side.
Given these circumstances, United have a lot on the line, including the urge for retribution after losing last year's final which marked the second leg of City's treble triumph.
"We finished that game with that feeling of 'we could have won it'," Dalot, who is expected to make his 50th appearance of the season at Wembley, stated.
"To be so close to winning it and not doing it - this season we have another opportunity. So the message from inside here is that this is our game of the season."
"That's the way we're facing it, that's the way we want to face it as well, and the way that we should face it, I think."
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"We're playing a great team, but finals are there to win and not to just play in, so we just want to win it."
"The fans are hungry for trophies, the club is hungry for trophies, we're hungry for trophies, so we have an opportunity."
"But if we think City, just because they won the league and everything last year, are going to take their foot off the gas, it's just being delusional."
"They're going to be at their best level. We have to expect that and we have to be at our best level if we want to win."
