Dane Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu devotes his off-season to strength training as preparation begins ahead of his first full season in Manchester.
After signing in January 2025 for a reported £30 million, Danish wing-back Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu has impressed manager Rúben Amorim so far, making 12 appearances and starting 10 for the Reds.
The 20-year-old signed from Serie A side Lecce after cementing his place in the first team, playing in 53 games and finding the back of the net 5 times.
Amorim and the scouting team immediately recognised his talent and respected his reputation as one of Europe’s best young wing-backs. Deciding to seal the deal in the winter transfer window amid an injury crisis for Amorim’s men.
Videos recently emerged on personal coach Kwaku Ohemeng’s Instagram page, showing his intense individual training sessions with the youngster. In which Dorgu works on his speed, agility and shooting—attributes required to excel in the current dynamic United set-up.
Dorgu has evidently worked hard to achieve his current position. These snippets of content show us how gruelling it is to become a Premier League footballer. But the Dane shows no signs of slowing down, even with pressure from the returning Harry Amass and new arrival Diego Leon.
Amorim favours physical attacking threat out wide
Dorgu has operated on either side of the back three, initially making his debut on the right side of the pitch in a thrilling 2-1 FA Cup win against Leicester. This led keen-eyed United fans to believe he would play an inverted wing-back role in future games.
Patrick said in an interview ahead of United’s home clash against Real Sociedad in the Europa League knockouts, “It’s the boss that takes the decision… I’m comfortable playing on both sides.”
In addition to his defensive competence, Dorgu also presents a versatile attacking threat. As a very unique player, Premier League defences have had trouble containing him so far. Frequently flying into the opposition’s third to create another attacking outlet.
In that same interview, Patrick expressed his desire to play in Amorim’s fluid, positive system; “I saw Ruben at Sporting before he came… It’s a very attacking system, and I would like to get into the box and score goals.”
What’s in store for Dorgu and United in 2025/26?
With the addition of Matheus Cunha and the return of a fully fit Mason Mount, Dorgu must build a rapport with his partners on the wing, as he did with Alejandro Garnacho towards the end of last season.
Amorim has also been known to use wing-backs in an inverted role, just as he did with Geovany Quenda at Sporting CP. As previously mentioned, Patrick is both capable and willing to play in this manner.
However, it must also be noted that although Dorgu had pretty much free rein of the left wing-back position in the second half of last season, the signing of 18-year-old Leon and the emergence of Amass will undoubtedly keep him on his toes.
Expect to see more energetic attacking threats and defensive control of the left side of the pitch in the future, as we count down the days until the first game of the season against Arsenal on Sunday, 17 August.
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