Why Manchester United signing Patrick Dorgu was Amorim priority buy

€30m initial fee 

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Manchester United have completed the signing of Patrick Dorgu from Leece. It’s the first major incoming from the English giants in January with United paying the Serie A club an initial fee of €30m with a further €5m expected in add-ons. Ruben Amorim was pivotal to signing Dorgu as he looks to upgrade his wing-back options and the 20-year-old was delighted to seal his move to Old Trafford. He said: ““I am incredibly proud to be able to call myself a Manchester United player; this is a very special day for my whole family. “I cannot wait to work with Ruben Amorim; his vision for this team and the future of the club is incredibly exciting.”

Dorgu is naturally a left-back and he played exclusively in that role or higher on the left in midfield as he progressed through the academy at FC Nordsjaelland. The 20-year-old continued in that role after joining Leece but recently he’s been deployed at right-wing, instructed to cut in on his left-foot. Dorgu also plays in a more attacking role for Denmark but his adaptability and development potential is a major asset and paramount to why Amorim wanted him so badly.

Simply, Rubem Amorim’s tactical system is perfectly suited to Dorgu’s characteristics. The Portuguese boss’ preferred 3-4-2-1 formation places huge emphasis and demands on the wing-backs and United have issues in these positions. Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazaroui have been deployed as the wing-backs but they are both naturally full-backs and it’s caused issues in attacking phases.  Both Dalot and Mazaroui are also right-footed as United’s two left-backs have experienced fitness issues.

Luke Shaw’s injury record is horrendous and Tyrell Malacia has only recently returned after missing the entirety of last season. While Shaw is a top-class operator when fit, whether he possesses the athleticism – due to injury concerns – to play left wing-back is highly debatable. Dorgu would provide a left-footed option with attacking instincts to play left-wing back and he could also easily play on the right. It’s worth noting that Amorim’s preferred right wing-back at Sporting CP was Geovany Quenda and there’s distinct similarities to Dorgu. Amorim could use wingers as wing-backs and has deployed Amad Diallo there fleetingly but he’s been reticent to do that early in his United career with time on the training pitch restricted over the festive period.

On Dorgu’s best position, Transfermarkt’s Serie A expert, Jatin Dietl said: “His position is difficult to define, he is actually a left-back with strong offensive qualities. But most recently, Lecce has deployed him in attack, where he is more at home on the right than on the left. A player with a lot of potential who still has to find his final position on the pitch, a move to Manchester United seems far too early to me.”