Lecce President, Sticchi Damiani, has spoken about losing his former star Patrick Dorgu to Manchester United following a relentless pursuit of the Dane.
During the 2024/25 January transfer window, Manchester United acquired Danish international Patrick Dorgu as they looked to provide depth to Luke Shaw.
The athletic 21-year-old was signed from Italian side Lecce to provide cover for Shaw, who repeatedly struggled with fitness and injury concerns.
Ruben Amorim’s first signing recently notched his first Premier League goal for the Reds with a wonderfully taken volley against Newcastle United, which led them to a 1-0 victory.
The Danish wing-back’s former President, Sticchi Damiani, has since spoken about Dorgu’s move to Old Trafford, claiming that he was ‘taken aback’ by United’s persistence.
Damiani speaks on ‘Devastating’ Dorgu
When speaking to TuttoSport in an interview, via SportWitness, Damiani said, “It hurt because I had to contradict myself. I truly thought I wouldn’t be selling anyone in January, but we didn’t expect that increase from United.
“We were also taken aback by the English club’s absolute unwillingness to postpone the deal until the following June.
“Technically, we were comfortable. We had [Santiago] Pierotti, who was ready. At that historic moment, Dorgu was paradoxically a replaceable player.
“Despite his great value, because he was systematically deployed on the right, as an inverted winger. A position in which he lost much of his potential.”
Damiani praises Dorgu position change
Recently, for the Reds, Dorgu has filled the void created by the Africa Cup of Nations, as he has taken up a far more advanced role in the absence of Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo.
Amorim has adopted a 4-2-3-1 since he lost a few of his stars to AFCON, which has given Dorgu the license to attack more frequently, similarly to how he was at Lecce.
Damiani has spoken on this positional tweak for his former star, saying, “I’m seeing him back in his natural position in Manchester, where he devastates opponents.”
Having seen a goal chalked off for offside against Wolves, as well as notching a goal for Denmark against Scotland, it is clear that Dorgu is thriving in his new role for both club and country.
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 14:00 pm (GMT) on the United View YouTube channel.