One Manchester United star’s secret talent was on display once again as Portugal defeated Denmark in a thrilling double-legged Nations League quarter-final.
With the international break in full swing, Manchester United saw five players competing as Denmark and Portugal faced off in the Nations League quarter-finals.
With Patrick Dorgu, Rasmus Højlund, and Christian Eriksen on the Danish side, they faced teammates Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes, with Portugal prevailing with a 5-3 aggregate score.
The first leg saw Højlund score the only goal off the bench during a tight 1-0 win over Denmark, scoring for his second game in a row following his goal against Leicester City.
However, when the second leg kicked off in Portugal, the home side prevailed by winning 5-2 on the night thanks to an own goal from Joachim Andersen and goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Francisco Trincão (2), and Gonçalo Ramos.
Dorgu’s secret talent on display once again
While Denmark came away from the fixture feeling glum after conceding five goals, United’s Dorgu was “amazing” on the night, earning plaudits from across the football world.
The 20-year-old left-back was brilliant both from an attacking perspective and as a defender, winning 10 duels, the most of any player at the time of his substitution in the 97th minute.
However, the more interesting stat is that, at the time of his substitution, he had also won four fouls, the most of any player, and this is not the first time fans have noticed how often he is able to win free-kicks.
After United’s 4-1 win over Real Sociedad two weeks ago, it emerged that Dorgu had won six fouls on the night, including in the build-up to Fernandes’ second penalty of the evening.
It has become a running theme during his fixtures for United so far that the Danish international can win so many fouls compared to his teammates, which he has used multiple times to ease pressure both in attack and defence.
Why does Dorgu win so many fouls?
An immediate point United fans made after watching Dorgu play for United on a few occasions is that he is an incredibly athletic player.
He is strong, quick, good with the ball at his feet and takes up great positions, which is why he is able to win so many fouls.
He is a powerful player who holds a lot of technical ability, which often means opposition players. have to resort to fouling him in order to stop his advances.
However, Dorgu has also shown that he can use his strength to shield the ball and buy fouls by manipulating his body to stop any opponents having a touch of it and instead having to kick through him, which has been useful when United need to relieve pressure on this defensive line.
All in all, Amorim will be happy to see that his new signing is starting to thrive both for United and the Danish national side, and the player’s performances of late will only give Dorgu more confidence heading into the rest of the season.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (GMT) on the United View YouTube channel.