Man United stepped up their pre-season preparations with an energetic performance against West Ham United – and several players caught the eye.
George is a Senior Football Writer for the Manchester Evening News, mostly covering Manchester United. He previously worked for football.london before joining the MEN team in July 2021. As well as covering United, George is a Championship-enthusiast and co-hosts The Championship Chat Podcast (@Champchatpod24), which you can find on all major podcast platforms.
Patrick Dorgu (right) impressed against West Ham United.(Image: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.)
Those who stayed up late to watch Manchester United’s pre-season tour opener against West Ham United were probably pleased with their decision by the half-time break.
United went into the interval at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey 1-0 up following Bruno Fernandes’ early penalty. He confidently slotted the ball home after Alphonse Areola brought Ayden Heaven down inside the box.
United’s first half showing in New Jersey was encouraging. They were dominant for long spells of the opening 45 minutes and used the ball with purpose.
They set a good tempo for just their second pre-season friendly of the summer, and the players offered plenty of evidence to suggest they are becoming more and more aligned with Ruben Amorim’s system.
Pre-season caveats have to be accounted for, but credit should be given where credit’s due, and United played very well up until Amorim, as planned, made ten changes shortly after the hour mark, particularly in the first half.
What was most striking about United’s first half showing was the tempo they set. They were too slow and laboured against Leeds United in Stockholm the previous weekend, but they had stored another week’s worth of training under their belts ahead of their Premier League Summer Series opener.
Against Leeds, United were arguably better in the second half, following 11 changes at the break, and much of their good work stemmed from the flanks. Wing-backs are essential to making Amorim’s system thrive and he is not without options in the wide areas.
While Diogo Dalot, new signing Bryan Mbeumo and Amad will be competing for a starting berth on the right flank, Patrick Dorgu and summer signing Diego Leon will be competing on the other flank.
Dorgu arrived from Lecce back in February, becoming United’s first signing of the Amorim era, and cost them a base price of £25million. People who had studied Dorgu’s time in Italy closely believed the Reds got a good deal amid the Dane’s potential.
Patrick Dorgu (right) impressed in the win over West Ham United.(Image: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.)
Arriving in a new country and joining a club of United’s stature where the expectation levels are through the roof, Dorgu was always going to need time to adapt, both on and off the pitch. It would have been naive to expect instant success.
His task of hitting the ground running was made harder by the fact he walked into a team that was struggling and bereft of confidence. Patience had to be required.
While pre-season games are rarely played at the same pace and with the same level of desire as competitive matches, Dorgu banked plenty of credit for his performance against West Ham.
Starting in the left wing-back berth, he produced exactly the type of attacking runs that Amorim both wants and needs to see from his wing-backs. With the two playmakers occupying central positions, the onus is on the wing-backs to provide the width.
The Dane regularly got high up the pitch, occupying attacking positions, and that will have pleased Amorim. The wing-backs are essentially wingers, given how much energy they have to produce.
His bursts into attack-minded areas certainly gave West Ham plenty to think about, with the Dane regularly providing an option on the left flank. He was the target for a couple of excellent cross-field balls from Leny Yoro.
Patrick Dorgu will be keen to make his mark this season.(Image: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.)
While it is important to remain grounded after just two pre-season outings, Dorgu’s performances in the last two games have been encouraging. He is one of several players who ought to benefit from a full pre-season this summer.
United are not thought to be targeting another left-sided signing this summer, meaning the Dane is primed to remain Amorim’s first-choice wing-back on the left flank. That was always the plan when he arrived at Old Trafford earlier this year.
With pre-season having started well for the wing-back, he will have ambitions of maintaining his upward trajectory ahead of the season opener against Arsenal next month. His first two performances of the summer have offered enough to suggest he could be as good as a new signing for Amorim.