Since Ruben Amorim declared this Manchester United the worst in the club's 147-year history, they have responded with a three-game winning streak for the first time all season.

Amoirm's cutting comment after the dreadful defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford on January 19 was made just after a dressing room dressing down was delivered to the players, and his comments have stung the squad into action. Victories against Rangers, Fulham, and FCSB marked United's best run of form all season.

The turnaround could be coincidental, but Amorim has made it clear he has been trying to "shock" the club and deliver a wake-up call and his message has clearly got through, with standards raised in recent weeks. The performances in those three victories haven't been faultless, but there has been a stronger defensive effort across the board and a more resilient approach.

READ MORE: Dream Marcus Rashford Manchester United scenario on the table as Aston Villa move close

READ MORE: 'It's nothing new' - Crystal Palace manager makes admission about Man United boss Ruben Amorim

That could be traced back to Amorim's comments, and Diogo Dalot has revealed it did touch a nerve with the players, who don't want to be associated with such a damning claim. That has led to a renewed effort to change the momentum of what has been a gruelling and disappointing season so far.

"I don’t want to hear it," Dalot said when asked about Amorim's comments. "So the message for me is the next training session, I have to show that I don't want to belong to the [worst] Manchester United team in history.

"You can analyse it as something negative. I analyse it as something positive because I want to change the situation. My teammates also, and we show today (against FCSB) that we want to change this."

That desire to change is gradually pushing United in the right direction. They have eased into the last 16 of the Europa League as the only side to remain undefeated through the league phase and have eased any fears of being dragged into a relegation battle in the Premier League.

There is an FA Cup fourth-round clash with Leicester City at Old Trafford on the horizon, as well as the Europa League knockouts. Dalot, who scored the opening goal in Bucharest on Thursday, believes there is reason to be positive as the players start to get more comfortable with Amorim's demands.

"Football is always unpredictable, but what you can see is that we are trying to be more consistent about it, trying to win more games, and that's the part that we want to keep," he said.

"It doesn't mean that things will be lovely until the end of the season, but that's where we want to go. We are really positive about it. We know that this storm that everybody is talking about, it will go away."

The Europa League could quickly become United's priority now. They head into the weekend 12th in the league, and European qualification is already looking out of reach. However, lifting the Europa League trophy in Bilbao in May would secure a return to the Champions League.

"We know how much winning will help the development of this club. We want to win it," said Dalot. "We know that [finishing in the top eight] was a very big step to be in the next round and go to the finals.

"I think we have to go game by game, but [beating FCSB] was really important for us and the message that I want to pass is that we really know what it means to win a European Cup for this club."

Now, United return to domestic matters. Victory against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford would secure back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time all season and four successive triumphs in all competitions for the first time in 11 months.

"It's massive not just for us but as a club, but for the fans," Dalot said of the current winning run.

"I think obviously you go to Old Trafford on Sunday, the atmosphere is already different because you feel that we are winning games. It's not the same and it's much easier to work, much easier to train when you are winning, and that's where we want to go.

"I mean, we know that what happened this season it's been really tough, not just for us but for all the people involved at the club, but we want to change it and we want to start, step by step, and the first step is to win games, clean sheets."