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Manchester United signed two new players over the weekend, the first arrivals of Ruben Amorim’s reign: the 18-year-old centre-back Ayden Heaven joined from Arsenal on Saturday, and 20-year-old left-back Patrick Dorgu landed from Lecce on Sunday. After a summer window spent signing young but established talent for Erik ten Hag, the winter window has seen a shift towards raw potential.
What is so unusual about Dorgu is just how quickly he has risen from relative obscurity to join one of Europe’s giant clubs (giant by reputation if not by actual football). Lecce spotted Dorgu playing in the youth ranks for Danish side Nordsjælland – a club renowned for nurturing young talent with Brighton’s Simon Adingra and Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard among their graduates – and he moved to Italy aged 17 in a transfer worth £170,000.
At the time, there was no suggestion that he was the next great hope of Danish football. “He never really did that well as a youth player in Denmark,” journalist Karsten Krogh told the BBC. “He was never a star anywhere. It wasn’t like the other teams in Denmark were lining up to get his signature.”
In his first season Dorgu helped Lecce’s youth team to the Italian under-19 title, and the following season he was promoted to the senior squad. It has been an express journey ever since his Lecce debut in August 2023, becoming a regular starter in Serie A and breaking into the national team before his £30m move to the Premier League.
Dorgu’s Denmark debut was extraordinary, coming off the bench during a Nations League game against Switzerland in September with 10 minutes to go and the score 0-0. Few in Denmark knew much about him, given he had never played in the Danish Superliga. But Dorgu scored after 44 seconds, exploding into space behind the Swiss defence before firing home with his weaker right foot, and his beaming smile was all over the back pages the next morning.
His arrival at Old Trafford will grow his reputation further still. “There is a clear plan set out for my development,” Dorgu said after his transfer was confirmed. “I feel that Manchester United is the perfect place to fulfil my potential and complete my huge ambitions.”
Three things have caught the eye in Dorgu’s brief professional career so far. The first is that he is a Swiss Army knife of a wide player, having spent his first season at Lecce flitting between left-back and left midfield, and much of this season cutting inside from the right wing. Versatility is something Amorim prized highly at Sporting, particularly in the wing-back roles where he could switch between more defensive- and attack-minded players to flex his 3-4-3 system and recalibrate its dials without breaking out of the broader shape.
The second is his dribbling prowess. Dorgu has been Lecce’s main outlet for travelling upfield this season, topping the club’s charts for progressive carries (68), nearly double any of his teammates, and ranking 11th overall in Serie A. He is the second-most fouled player in the league, too.
The third is his physicality: Dorgu is strong and quick, and at 6ft 1in he shouldn’t have problems adapting to the Premier League’s intensity. His defensive contribution has been notable this season, having made the most tackles of any Lecce player despite often starting as a winger rather than full-back.
Indeed his “work rate” was singled out for praise by United technical director Jason Wilcox, and United’s background checks would have revealed an intelligent player dedicated to improving himself. “Patrick is definitely coachable,” Nordsjaelland technical director Alexander Riget told Sky Sports. “He is a very good listener. He is not a guy who speaks a lot. Every time we were out there for a training session, after it was over, I could not get him off the pitch. He just wanted to play.”
So perhaps the only question around Dorgu is exactly why he was bought. If United want to sign potential, someone they can mould and develop into an elite player whose value will grow as he proves himself in the Premier League, then Dorgu appears a calculated gamble. If he is part of a strategic shift towards undiscovered talent then he might turn out to be a smart acquisition. His attributes certainly suggest he can learn how to play Amorim’s wing-back role.
But Dorgu sat and watched as United were picked apart by Crystal Palace on Sunday, and saw first-hand the wealth of problems at Amorim’s door. If he is expected to solve even some of those, then that is a lot to ask of a young player who has been a senior pro for only 18 months.
