Patrick Dorgu has been described as an “incredible player” by his Lecce teammate who draws a comparison between the 20-year-old wing-back and world-class AC Milan fullback Theo Hernandez.
Manchester United have reached a “broad agreement” with Lecce to sign the Danish international for a deal worth an initial £25 million with a further £5 million in potential add-ons.
Old Trafford officials identified Dorgu as a key target in the winter window to fill the vacant left wing-back position in Ruben Amorim’s squad.
United saw two bids rejected by Lecce with the Serie A side reported to be holding out for a total package worth €40 million (£33.5 million). However, there was optimism at Old Trafford that a compromise could be struck with the club’s delicate financial situation meaning every penny counts this year.
Amorim is believed to have personally approved Dorgu as a target with the Dane possessing a potent pairing of pace and physicality. He stands 6’2 and has excellent stamina while providing a constant threat in the opposition half.
Dorgu is positionally versatile, having played at left wing-back, left-back, right-back, right wing-back and, most often, right-wing for Lecce this season.
The Serie A side, stationed 18th in the league table, use the 20-year-old as something of a Swiss army knife, deploying Dorgu in different positions as the level of opposition dictates.
This comfortability on either flank will have been key to Amorim’s approval with the United squad struggling to provide answers at left wing-back or right wing-back, outside of the brilliant Amad who is best deployed further forward.
And it’s this versatility which leads Lecce striker Nikola Krstovic to remark, “[Dorgu] knows how to play in multiple positions: up front, at the back, on the right. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him play in goal.”
Dorgu’s teammate is effusive in his praise of the young defender’s progress as “he gets better with each day”.” He is “an incredible player when you think he’s only 20,” Krstovic concludes.
And the Lecce marksman, who has himself declared an interest in playing for the Red Devils, offers a tantalising comparison to excite United fans. Krstovic believes the Danish international is “a bit like Theo [Hernandez], although Dorgu is more attacking.”
Hernandez, 27, is one of the premier left-backs in Europe with the AC Milan defender among the gold standard for attacking fullbacks. The French international was even believed to be a target at Old Trafford, though the club’s finances would have prevented a move such is the price the Rossoneri would have demanded for their star defender.
To be compared to Hernandez by a player within Serie A is a striking compliment for Dorgu; and the fact Krstovic describes the Dane as even “more attacking” than the Frenchman offers a tantalising prospect for United fans once Dorgu arrives in Manchester.
Featured image Gabriele Maltinti via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
