Manchester United have been blighted by injuries suffered by Luke Shaw across the past decade, consistently making left-back a problem position for different managers. Ruben Amorim has overseen an instant fix, with Lecce’s Patrick Dorgu set to land at Old Trafford in an initial £25million deal this week.
The United head coach identified Dorgu as his priority January transfer target as he attempts to instil his 3-4-3 system into a squad vastly formed by Erik ten Hag.
And the 20-year-old fits the mould of Amorim’s desired left-wing-back, which should immediately improve performances and results.
There is little chance that Dorgu will arrive at United with a similar injury proneness to Shaw based on his track record and recent comments by Nordsjælland technical director Alexander Riget.
The Denmark international played for Nordsjælland’s reserves in his homeland before joining Lecce in July 2022.
The club’s ‘Right to Dream’ setup has also helped produce players such as Premier League quartet Mohammed Kudus, Mikkel Damsgaard, Simon Adingra and Kamaldeen Sulemana.
And Riget, who played a role in recruiting Dorgu from fellow Danish club AB, has admitted his astonishment over the starlet’s fitness.
“He’s never injured – never,” Riget told Sport Witness.
“He played for Nordsjælland for six or seven years, and I can’t remember him having one day where he was injured, which is very abnormal when you are growing. That is also a very good thing.”
Riget also waxed lyrical about Dorgu’s mentality and attitude, claiming the versatile talent has never shown signs of nervousness or anxiety when taking to the pitch.
He added: “I’m not surprised – from his mentality and personality – that he can do it.
“Because he has never been a player who has been nervous before a game or anxious about it. I will say he is very uncomplicated.
“He is always like, ‘Put me on the pitch and then I will perform’. That’s a good asset to have if you want to become a football player.
“I’m not surprised that he has been capable of taking the steps from a mental perspective because he’s just playing football and doing the job.”
Dorgu, who could cost United as much as £29m if add-ons, most of them described as difficult, are achieved, can also play on the right flank and centrally.
He is the first recruit of the Amorim era and will be under pressure to make an instant impact. According to Riget, that won’t take much of a toll on him at all.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk