The winter window has come and gone without even a whisper to Manchester Unitedwith pre-January discussions over a deal for Antoine Semenyo having been quickly quashed by the Ghanaian’s move to the Etihad.
INEOS, following the abrupt dismissal of Ruben Amorim, is unsurprisingly putting all its eggs in the summer basket, with so much uncertainty still over who will be in charge next season and whether or not the team will compete in the Champions League.
All this played its role in a few weeks, the Red Devils having decided not to repeat the activity of last year, after recovering Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu mid-season.
It took almost 12 months, although that investment in Dorgu began to pay off, with the 21-year-old enjoying a rich vein of festive form, amid notable strikes against Newcastle United, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Having only just started to find his feet after moving into a more advanced role, the Dane was cruelly caught up, his current absence leaving him Michael Carrick with a headache to resolve over the next ten weeks.
How Man Utd can replace Dorgu on the flanks
Everything was going so well for Dorgu, with the former Lecce player winning the club’s January Player of the Month award, and rightly so, after being reborn amid the switch to 4-2-3-1.
The crowning achievement for the £30million signing undoubtedly came at the Emirates, hitting the crossbar to spark euphoria among the away fans, and a sheepish celebration from United’s rising star.
For a player who has been very active on the flanks in recent weeks, a hamstring injury may not come as a surprise, but remains deflating nonetheless, with a solution having to be found on the left.
Sure, Matheus Cunha, his replacement last time out, attacked him expertly against Fulham, but the Brazilian has a different player profile, tending to drift inside, while also frequently appearing on the right flank.
There is a world in which the 26-year-old could be deployed as a false nine, with Bryan Mbeumo on the right and Amad on the left, with the Ivorian an equally enthusiastic and relentless presence, with Dorgu-like speed to boot.
Likewise, Carrick could retrain 18-year-old Shea Lacey as a left winger, although he has generally been deployed on the right in the youth ranks, with United having managed to have a natural left foot on that side in recent weeks.
With Joshua Zirkzee also an option to take on a Cunha-style role on the left, as is Mason Mount, Carrick isn’t really short of options, thankfully.
That said, if it’s a Dorgu 2.0 he’s looking for, the Englishman could already have the perfect place in the academy.
Man Utd might have already signed the next Dorgu
In Cunha and Mbeumo, INEOS have taken the route of ready-made, proven Premier League signings, although many of their recent arrivals have been forward-looking.
Heaven and Dorgu certainly fall into this category, as does Diego Leon, with the 18-year-old having arrived from Cerro Porteno in a £6million deal over the summer.
Originally signed at the start of last year, before belatedly joining Manchester after turning 18, the Paraguayan sensation is still awaiting a chance at the first team, having featured extensively for the U21 side so far.
Although he is a left-back by trade, the teenager’s deployment as a winger, like Dorgu, indicates that he could also be unleashed further out, like the Dane who is a truly versatile asset for Carrick to use.
Also like Dorgu, much of Leon’s game relies on his remarkable pace and power, with Como analyst and scout Ben Mattinson remarking that he is “like a steam train” when it is in full flow.
|
Léon’s statistics – EFL Trophy (25/26) |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics (*per match) |
Save |
|
Games |
2 |
|
Goals and assists |
0 |
|
Success accuracy* |
84% |
|
Key passes* |
0.5 |
|
Tackles* |
4.5 |
|
Balloons recovered* |
4.0 |
|
Total duels won* |
63% |
|
Permissions* |
3.5 |
That almost unstoppable quality was on display during his previous spell in Paraguay, scoring four times in just 33 senior games for his former employers, a similar record to Dorgu’s return of five goals in 57 appearances in Italy.
This attacking burst was also seen in United’s youth ranks, with Leon bursting out of his own half to score a stunning solo goal against Tottenham Hotspur’s U21 side.
The manner in which he drove from deep was Dorgu-style, or even – dare we say it – Gareth Bale-style, ensuring the youngster could well be another surprise, left-footed down that flank.
Journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed that Leon’s progress has been such of late that he is considered to be ahead of schedule, with United and INEOS yet to decide what to do on that left flank heading into the summer.
In the long term, he may well look to challenge Luke Shaw at left-back, but if a senior arc is to arrive, deploying Leon as a direct replacement for Dorgu could be a profitable business in the short term.
