Man Utd analysis: Was Patrick Dorgu a worthy investment for the Red Devils?
It was a first half to forget for Patrick Dorgu against Ipwisch Town in Manchester United’s last Premier League match.
The Red Devils came out on top, defeating Kieran McKenna’s side 3-2 at Old Trafford.
Goals from centre-backs Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire, as well as an own goal from Sam Morsy, helped secure the victory after a run of three games without a win in the league.
However, Dorgu will not look back on the game with fond memories.
Transfer News Blitz’s Deputy Content Editor, Harry Whitfield, evaluates the Danish full-back’s shaky start to life at Old Trafford.
Dorgu’s Old Trafford nightmare
After just four minutes, he was involved in an embarrassing mix-up with goalkeeper Andre Onana, which allowed Jaden Philogene to open the scoring for the Tractor Boys.
As United turned the game around to lead 2-1, Dorgu undid all of the home side’s hard work as he was sent off for a horrendous challenge on Omari Hutchinson.
The Danish international lunged in, and as he got a touch on the ball, his follow-through caught the Ipswich midfielder, resulting in a red card after a VAR review.
After Philogene levelled the score before the break, Maguire restored United’s lead early in the second-half as they managed to hold on, to the relief of the 20-year-old.
Shaky start
Dorgu signed for United a day before the January transfer window slammed shut for a reported fee of £25million, which could rise to £29million in add-ons, from Serie A side Lecce.
Since then, he has gone on to start three Premier League matches and an FA Cup tie against Leicester City.
It would be unfair to conclude whether Dorgu was a good investment after only four matches, but his performance against Ipswich was not a sign of good things to come.
A perfect fit for Amorim’s system
Ruben Amorim brought in Dorgu as a viable option for his wing-back positions in his 3-4-2-1 system.
Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui have regularly nailed down the left-wing back and right-wing back positions before his arrival.
Dorgu, being a natural left-footed wing-back, encouraged United to splash the cash on him.
If you are going to invest in a manager like Amorim, then you’d better give him the players that suit his playing style.
Priority with recruitment
Whilst there are many things wrong with the Man Utd squad, the main issue for me is the spine of the team.
You can’t trust the keeper; Onana constantly makes errors.
There is a lack of depth at centre-back with their best defender, Lisandro Martinez, currently injured.
The midfield always gets overrun with a severe lack of quality defensive midfielders, and the attackers are simply not scoring enough goals.
So, did United really need to bring in Dorgu?
Or should they have focused on fixing the core positions in this squad?
Learn from your mistakes
It is fair to say that Man Utd have not always been the smartest club when it comes to recruitment over the last few years.
The Manchester club have often overpaid for players; £70million on Rasmus Hojlund, £55million on Mason Mount and just this season, they splashed £35million on Joshua Zirkzee.
The Dutchman has only scored three Premier League goals in 27 appearances.
Whilst the verdict is still out on Dorgu, the early performances are a cause for concern.
Amorim’s side takes on Real Sociedad on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie, which Dorgu will be available for.
The European competition remains their last real shot at silverware this season as they languish down in 14th place in the Premier League.
A last chance for United and Dorgu to prove the doubters wrong, including me.
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