Ruben Amorim has made no secret of the fact that the current Manchester United squad is not at the level that he requires to be a success at Old Trafford.
A number of big names have entered the usual rumour mill around United as we have approached the finish of the January transfer window but it's certainly a surprise that United's first senior signing of the Amorim era would actually arrive from a small Italian club in the face of a young and inexperienced Danish defender.
When you look at the signing more closely there are certainly a number of tactical and statistical reasons why such a purchase is justified. Dorgu has impressed plenty in Italy since breaking into the Lecce first team at the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign even though he is far being a household name in the Serie A.
The son of Nigerian parents who was born and raised in Denmark, has proven his versatility by being used both as a left-back, right-back, left midfielder and right midfielder at Lecce.
But with the current lack of effective attacking from the United wing-backs which often has left Amorim's highly structured 3-4-2-1 system unbalanced and predictable, this is the most likely position for Dorgu to occupy.
In terms of expected goals and assists for all full-backs in Europe's top five leagues and in European competition, the Danish international ranks among the top 90% and he also ranks very high when you look at progressive carries, where he reveals a willingness to drive forward with the ball at his feet. His highest statistics is related to tackles won in the middle third while defensively he appears slightly weaker.
For touches inside the opposition penalty area, Dorgu ranks among the top 88%, he ranks in the 81st percentile for carries into the final third, and for carrying the ball into the penalty area, he ranks among the top 93%.
In addition, he has a preference for playing more through balls than you would experience from an average player in his position, which is part of the system that Amorim is trying to implement at Old Trafford.
While United's two natural left-backs, Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw have struggled with fitness issues, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazaroui (both right-footed) have been used as wing-backs even though they are both natural full-backs and this has caused problems in the attacking phase for United….problems that Dorgu seems destined to solve.
Amorim’s preferred right wing-back at Sporting CP was Geovany Quenda and if you compare him to Dorgu there are certainly distinct similarities.
In Gazetta dello Sport, Dorgu's style is occasionally compared to Gareth Bale’s through his extraordinary ability to carry the ball forward and beat opponents in one-on-one situations. And on paper, Dorgu seems an ideal fit for Amorim's system through his physical strength, technical abilities and attacking mindset.
But while Dorgu’s United transfer from the outside may seem like a match made in heaven there are certainly also issues to suggest that it might have been a better option to stay at Lecce when you start scratching the surface.
Dorgu´s former Under-19 Danish national team coach Jens Olsen has advised Dorgu to reject the move on the grounds that things have to happen in the right order and Serie A expert Jatin Dietl has also stated that for a player who is still to find his final position on the pitch, the move seems far too early for a 20-year old.
Most Danish youngsters who get rejected at FC Nordsjællands esteemed “Right to Dream” academy don´t have the psychological stamina to prompt a move to a club at an even higher level, let alone in the Serie A.
This would suggest that Dorgu has the mental toughness to face a very challenging environment at United. However, there is certainly also a question mark as to how a very shy youngster from a Christian background and a very small nation will adapt to the pressure of being a Manchester United player.
Old Trafford is a very different animal to Lecce’s Stadio del Amare. Arriving in Manchester with all the attention around a United team launching a new era after having had the luxury of initially going virtually under the radar under the guidance of Roberto D'Aversa in Serie B will for Dorgu be like landing in New York's Times Square after having resided on the North Pole. It will feel like an Apocalypse.
When Manchester United comes calling, you don’t say no, and you can certainly forgive a 20-year-old for not wanting to reject a lucrative 30 million euro move to one of the world's biggest clubs.
However, Manchester United is a mammoth club in a cyclical crisis, with new owners, new executives, new processes and new players and as Amorim's first signing and having to cover a position where United for years have been desperate for solutions, Dorgu will be under tremendous pressure from the first day at the Carrington Training Centre.
No doubt the presence of Danish national team colleagues, Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund will make it easier for Dorgu to adapt to his new surroundings but the experiences of both players at a club so desperately failing to live up to expectations should be a warning sign to a player otherwise seemingly destined for a great future.