INEOS have already signed Man Utd's next Dorgu, he's like a "stream train"

[ad_1] The winter window has come and gone with out a lot as a murmur at Manchester United, with pre-January speak over a deal for Antoine Semenyo having been shortly quashed by the Ghanaian's transfer to the Etihad.

INEOS, following the abrupt dismissal of Ruben Amorim, are unsurprisingly placing all their eggs in the summertime basket, with a lot uncertainty nonetheless over who will likely be in cost subsequent season, and whether or not the staff will likely be competing within the Champions League or not.

<img width="1650" height="1376" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Man-Utd-dream-summer-XI-deadline-day" data-img-url="https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/man-utd-dream-summer-xi-deadline-day.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" src="https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/man-utd-dream-summer-xi-deadline-day.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2"/> That has all performed its half in a muted few weeks, with the Crimson Devils deciding to not replicate final yr's exercise, having snapped up Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu mid-season.

It is taken nearly 12 months, though that funding in Dorgu has begun to bear fruit, with the 21-year-old having fun with a wealthy vein of festive kind, amid notable strikes towards the likes of Newcastle United, Manchester Metropolis and Arsenal.

Having simply begun to search out his ft after shifting right into a extra superior position, the Dane has cruelly been pegged again, nonetheless, together with his present absence leaving Michael Carrick with a headache to resolve over the subsequent ten weeks.

How Man Utd can substitute Dorgu on the flanks It was all going so nicely for Dorgu, with the ex-Lecce man swooping the membership's January Participant of the Month award, and rightly so, having been reborn amid the change to a 4-2-3-1.

The £30m signing's crowning second got here, undoubtedly, on the Emirates, lashing in off the crossbar to spark euphoria among the many away followers, and a sheepish celebration from United's rising star.

For a participant who had been all-action on the flanks in current weeks, a hamstring harm is maybe of little shock, however nonetheless deflating nonetheless, with an answer needing to be discovered off the left.

In fact, Matheus Cunha, his substitute final day out, rifled him expertly towards Fulham, but the Brazilian is a unique profile of participant, tending to float inside, whereas additionally popping up on the precise flank ceaselessly.

There's a world during which the 26-year-old could possibly be deployed as a false 9, with Bryan Mbeumo off the precise and Amad off the left, with the Ivorian a equally gung-ho, relentless presence, with Dorgu-esque velocity besides.

<img width="1650" height="1376" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Patrick-Dorgu-Man-Utd-Arsenal-City-stats" data-img-url="https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/patrick-dorgu-man-utd-arsenal-city-stats.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" src="https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/patrick-dorgu-man-utd-arsenal-city-stats.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2"/> Equally too, Carrick may repurpose 18-year-old Shea Lacey as a left-winger, regardless of having usually been deployed off the precise within the youth ranks, with United seeing success in having a pure left-footer on that aspect in current weeks.

With Joshua Zirkzee additionally an choice to tackle a Cunha-style position off the left, as too is Mason Mount, Carrick is not precisely in need of choices, fortunately.

That stated, if it's a Dorgu 2.0 that he's searching for, the Englishman would possibly have already got the proper match within the academy.

Man Utd may need already signed the subsequent Dorgu In Cunha and Mbeumo, INEOS have gone down the route of ready-made, Premier League-proven signings, though lots of their current incomings have been with one eye on the longer term in thoughts.

Heaven and Dorgu actually match that class, as too does Diego Leon, with the 18-year-old having arrived from Cerro Porteno on a £6m deal over the summer time.

Initially signed early final yr, earlier than belatedly shifting to Manchester after turning 18, the Paraguayan sensation remains to be ready for a first-team probability, having largely featured for the U21 aspect up to now.

Whereas a left-back by commerce, {the teenager}'s deployment as a wing-back, like Dorgu, factors to him probably being unleashed additional ahead too, mirroring the Dane in being a extremely versatile asset for Carrick to wield.

Like Dorgu too, a lot of Leon's sport depends on his outstanding tempo and energy, with analyst and Como scout Ben Mattinson remarking that he is "like a steam practice" when in full move.

Leon - EFL Trophy stats (25/26)

Stat (*per sport)

File

Video games

2

Objectives & Assists

0

Move accuracy*

84%

Key passes*

0.5

Tackles*

4.5

Balls recovered*

4.0

Complete duels received*

63%

Clearances*

3.5

Stats by way of Sofascore

That nearly unstoppable high quality was on show throughout his earlier spell again in Paraguay, scoring 4 occasions in simply 33 senior video games for his former employers, the same file to Dorgu's return of 5 objectives in 57 outings in Italy.

That attack-minded brilliance has additionally been seen within the United youth ranks, with Leon surging from his personal half to attain a surprising solo strike towards Tottenham Hotspur's U21 aspect.

The style during which he drove from deep was Dorgu-esque, and even - dare we are saying it - Gareth Bale-esque, guaranteeing the teenager may nicely be one other shock, left-footed package deal down that flank.

There have been claims by journalist Ben Jacobs that such has been Leon's progress of late, he's deemed to be forward of schedule, with United and INEOS but to resolve on what to do on that left flank heading into the summer time because of this.

<img width="1650" height="826" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="patrick-dorgu-man-utd" data-img-url="https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/mixcollage-29-jan-2026-10-04-am-1965.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" src="https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/mixcollage-29-jan-2026-10-04-am-1965.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2"/> Within the long-term, he would possibly nicely be vying to problem Luke Shaw at left-back, but when a senior bow is to reach, deploying Leon as a direct Dorgu substitute could possibly be a worthwhile enterprise within the short-term.