Carrick Prepares to Re-Sign Dorgu as United's Left-Back Solution

Manchester United came out of the transfer window with a familiar problem and a very modern solution. No new left-back. But, in Michael Carrick’s eyes, one already hiding in plain sight.

Patrick Dorgu, 21, is the man being quietly moved to the front of the queue.

Carrick has already labelled the Dane “like a new signing” after his return from a long hamstring lay-off, and with the window shut and deals for Alejandro Balde and Rayan Aït-Nouri falling away late, those words suddenly carry extra weight.

United’s depth chart at left-back is brutally simple: Luke Shaw… and then a collection of improvisations. Dorgu, Noussair Mazraoui, Diogo Dalot. One specialist, several solutions.

From Lecce left-back to United winger

Dorgu did not arrive in England as an unknown. United paid £25million to take him from Lecce in January 2025, scouting him as a left-back in Serie A. In Italy, he learned the defensive craft in a back four; under Ruben Amorim he shifted into a wing-back role, adding thrust to his game.

Carrick, though, has almost exclusively unleashed him higher up the pitch.

The youngster has started four times under the United manager but lost a large slice of last season to that hamstring injury. He opened this campaign on the wing at Hull City on the first day of the season, then dropped to the bench for the win over Ipswich. Every competitive minute for Carrick so far has come in attacking areas.

That might be about to change.

“He can certainly play there. He has done, without doubt,” Carrick said when asked about using Dorgu at left-back. “I’m not sitting here saying he can’t do that. It’s just the way we’ve been since I’ve been here.”

The manager’s explanation is simple: circumstances, not ability, have kept Dorgu away from the back line.

“He actually has been injured, unfortunately, for some time. You could almost argue that he played three or four times for us last season, so for me, he’s almost like a new player, you know, to have, and it’s almost like a new signing in some ways because he’s added so much to the group.”

Versatility that now matters

If United were short of wide players, Dorgu’s role would be straightforward. They are not. The squad is stacked with wingers; it is at full-back where the gaps glare.

Dorgu has impressed as a left-winger under Carrick and has shown his flexibility on the international stage. For Denmark, he has operated off the right flank, cutting in to score a superb goal in the June internationals from that side. Right wing for his country, left wing for his club, wing-back under Amorim, left-back at Lecce. His CV is a coach’s dream.

“He's played off the right for Denmark, scored a great goal in the summer playing off the right in a forward position,” Carrick said. “He can play left-back. He's that type where he can do a number of things. I'm certainly not saying he can't do that at all.”

The hint is clear. The experiment has already begun behind closed doors.

“It's something he can, we just haven't had to explore that. At some point, we might have to, at some point he might do that. He can do that, absolutely no problem. There are times in training when he does it.”

Carrick sees a profile that fits the modern full-back: athletic, aggressive, comfortable on the ball, with the engine to patrol the entire flank. The question is no longer whether Dorgu can play there, but when United will need him to.

A young player, a big responsibility

For all the tactical talk, Dorgu is still only 21. United know they are asking a lot if they push him back into a defensive role in the Premier League pressure cooker, especially after a serious injury.

“And then he's only young, being such a young age and having the attributes that he's got, we've just got to keep trying to get the most out of him,” Carrick added.

That “most” might now include a return to the position that first put him on United’s radar. Shaw remains the undisputed first choice, but his injury record is no secret. Behind him, the club must choose between repurposed full-backs and a winger who once thrived as a left-back in Italy.

Carrick sounds ready to trust the latter. In a window where United could not land the reinforcement they wanted, the solution might be the player they already paid for – and the one they are about to discover all over again.