Video: “Hopefully, I can play many more games there”: United star sends Carrick clear message about his preferred role

Manchester United started off their pre-season tour with a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Championship side Wrexham in Helsinki on Saturday. While the Red Devils kept control of the ball well enough, they hardly showed any attacking impetus in either half. It was a bland affair in the end, with Michael Carrick’s positional tweaks turning out to be the main talking points of the day. The head coach surprisingly opted to play Leny Yoro as the right-back, while Mason Mount continued to be deployed in a deeper midfield role, alongside new recruit Andrey Santos. Patrick Dorgu enjoys playing further forward Patrick Dorgu was also used in a more attacking role, starting as the left winger instead of at left-back, which has pleased the Dane. Talking to MUTV after the game, the Denmark international seemed to hint that he enjoys this side of his game more than playing as a traditional full-back. “I’ve found it good. It’s nice to play a bit higher up because you’ve got cover from your left-back and a bit more freedom on the pitch. Hopefully, I can play many more games there, improve my game in that position, and become even sharper.” With Luke Shaw currently without a backup, there is a chance that the 21-year-old may be asked to fulfil that role as well, something he is ready to do. Versatility will be an asset for Carrick “I feel like I can play in a lot of positions, and I trust myself wherever I play. Wherever the coach thinks I can do the best job, I’ll give everything for the team.” Games against Wrexham and Rosenborg are just the appetisers ahead of the main course, with Patrick Dorgu delighted to be facing European giants like Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid and AC Milan later this pre-season. “It’s always good to play against big teams, especially teams we could face in the Champions League. It’ll be good to see the level and compete against the best teams in Europe.” On pre-season training so far, the former Lecce star explained how the focus has been on regaining fitness and match sharpness while also gelling as a group. The harder activities will follow in the weeks to come. Patrick Dorgu on pre-season training and the season ahead “It’s good to get back to playing again, get the rhythm back, and play with my teammates again. It has been good and also been hard. We’ve been working on getting our sharpness and fitness back. “Everyone came back happy, and we’re all excited for the season. It’s nice to be back training and competing again.” Patrick Dorgu refused to elaborate on the team’s goals for the season, insisting on taking it one step at a time. “The first game is against Hull, so we’ll take it one game at a time. Obviously, we want to compete for trophies and the league as well, but it’s all about the first game. We need to prepare well for that one, and then we’ll go from there.” Feature image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25