'Glitch in the matrix' - can Dorgu solve Man Utd's problem?

Patrick Dorgu only made his senior debut in August 2023

With the first signings of the Ruben Amorim era, Manchester United have addressed arguably their biggest problem position.

After bringing in 18-year-old centre-back Ayden Heaven from Arsenal on Saturday, United have now completed the signing of Danish full-back Patrick Dorgu from Serie A strugglers Lecce.

Dorgu has cost an initial €30m (£25m) fee, with a possible further €5m (£4.1m) in add-ons.

The 20-year-old is expected to fill the left wing-back spot in Amorim's side, a position the Portuguese coach has so far had to find makeshift solutions for.

The left side of defence was a problem at Old Trafford long before Amorim arrived with his back-five system, so the club's hierarchy will hope they have finally found the answer.

Heaven has gone into the first-team squad but may have to bide his time before his big chance; however, Dorgu looks to be one for now.

But who exactly is Dorgu, and why did United decide he was the best option?

'Nobody was queuing up for him'

Dorgu's story began with local youth football in his home city of Copenhagen, as well as playing with his siblings. One of his brothers is an attacker for Genoa's under-20 team, while the other is a goalkeeper in Denmark's lower leagues.

At 12 years old he was scouted by Danish Superliga side Nordsjaelland, a club - owned by the Right To Dream academy in Ghana - renowned for producing promising young talents. Brighton's Simon Adingra and Brentford duo Mathias Jensen and Mikkel Damsgaard are among the academy's alumni.

Nordsjaelland are specialists at developing youngsters, with the best of the best spending a season or two with the first team before moving on.

Yet in 2022, newly promoted Serie A side Lecce paid about €200,000 (£167,000) to sign the then 17-year-old Dorgu before he had made a single senior appearance.

"He's sort of a glitch in the matrix," Karsten Krogh, Serie A journalist at Danish podcast Mediano, tells BBC Sport.

"He never really did that well as a youth player in Denmark, he was never a star anywhere. It wasn't like the other teams in Denmark were lining up to get his signature."

After helping Lecce win the Italian under-19 title in his first season, the club's then-first team manager Roberto d'Aversa fast-tracked Dorgu into his squad.

"He's growing a lot and I see a bright future for him," D'Aversa said at the time.

"In football there are no ages, there are strong players and less strong ones. He is one of the strong players."

This season Dorgu has switched between the right wing and left-back in a back four, providing three assists and scoring once while starting all but one of Lecce's Serie A games.

His performances have convinced United to take action, even if his childhood dream was to play for Chelsea.

Dorgu helped Lecce Under-19s win the Primavera 1 title in 2022-23

What kind of player is Dorgu?

Versatile is the adjective that best describes Dorgu, though that isn't meant to undermine his qualities.

The left-footed Dane has played at left-back, right-back, left wing and right wing in Serie A this season, all to a good standard.

"He can really play pretty much anywhere, he's very versatile," says Nima Tavallaey, Italian football journalist and co-host of The Italian Football Podcast.

"Some people compare him to Gareth Bale, but they are quite different. He's much more versatile than Bale was."

Physicality and work-rate are Dorgu's stand-out qualities; he's a relentless runner who likes to take on opponents on both the inside and outside, just like his favourite full-backs Alphonso Davies and Theo Hernandez.

"He's a surprisingly good finisher, he drives the ball well," says Krogh. "He's not really quick but because he's so strong he's very good at shrugging people off."

As is to be expected for a young player, there are weaknesses to his game, mainly defensive.

Dorgu is not the greatest one-on-one defender in the world. At times this season he has struggled against opposition wingers; he has a 51.1% success rate when attempting to tackle dribblers (FBref).

Then there is the fact that Dorgu has hardly played as a wing-back before, the position Amorim is expected to deploy him in.

What kind of character is Dorgu?

Dorgu has enjoyed a rapid rise to stardom, but he doesn't appear to have let fame go to his head.

"He seems very grounded, very down to earth, not a flashy guy at all. He doesn't seem to be rattled by much, just kind of goes about his business really well," says Krogh.

"Patrick is definitely coachable. He is a very good listener. He is not a guy who speaks a lot," Nordsjaelland technical director Alexander Riget told Sky Sports.

"Every time we were out there for a training session, after it was over, I could not get him off the pitch. He just wanted to play."

Not even the recent rumours of a potential move to United seemed to affect him too much.

"He is very mature," Lecce boss Marco Giampaolo said in January.

"He certainly had a drop in attention, but in the last few days I have seen him well, I have spoken to him and I don't think the transfer market is upsetting him."

Will Dorgu fit in at United?

While a sample size of 57 senior appearances - plus four caps for Denmark - is on the small side, it does look like Dorgu will provide more attacking quality than United's two main options at left wing-back, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui.

Dorgu has attempted more crosses and made more shot-creating actions per 90 minutes this season than both of them, despite playing for a team who have scored the fewest goals in Serie A this season and have been hovering in and around the relegation zone.

As per FBref, only four defenders and wing-backs have attempted more take-ons in Serie A this season than Dorgu.

Although United winger Amad Diallo - who has been used at wing-back on occasion - is better from an attacking perspective, Dorgu betters him in tackles made per 90 minutes and aerial duels won.

One of the main challenges Dorgu will have to overcome is the pressure and expectation that comes with playing for United, but Riget believes he is up to the challenge.

"He has never been a player who has been nervous before a game or anxious about it," Riget told Sky Sports.

"He is very uncomplicated. He is always like, 'put me on the pitch and then I will perform'."

United do appear to be taking a gamble, but Dorgu is young enough for Amorim to mould into the kind of wing-back he requires. If Dorgu can handle the pressure and is afforded patience, then United could have a wing-back for the long term.