INEOS have already signed Man Utd’s next Dorgu, he’s like a “stream train”

The winter window has come and gone without so much as a murmur at Manchester United, with pre-January talk 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, are unsurprisingly putting all their eggs in the summer basket, with so much uncertainty still over who will be in charge next season, and whether the team will be competing in the Champions League or not.

That has all played its part in a muted few weeks, with the Red Devils deciding not to replicate last year’s activity, having snapped up Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu mid-season.

It’s taken almost 12 months, although that investment in Dorgu has begun to bear fruit, with the 21-year-old enjoying a rich vein of festive form, amid notable strikes against the likes of Newcastle United, Manchester City and Arsenal.

Having just begun to find his feet after shifting into a more advanced role, the Dane has cruelly been pegged back, however, with his current absence leaving Michael Carrick with a headache to solve over the next ten weeks.

How Man Utd can replace Dorgu on the flanks

It was all going so well for Dorgu, with the ex-Lecce man swooping the club’s January Player of the Month award, and rightly so, having been reborn amid the change to a 4-2-3-1.

The £30m signing’s crowning moment came, undoubtedly, at the Emirates, lashing in off the crossbar to spark euphoria among the away fans, and a sheepish celebration from United’s rising star.

For a player who had been all-action on the flanks in recent weeks, a hamstring injury is perhaps of little surprise, but still deflating nonetheless, with a solution needing to be found off the left.

Of course, Matheus Cunha, his replacement last time out, rifled him expertly against Fulham, yet the Brazilian is a different profile of player, tending to drift inside, while also popping up on the right flank frequently.

There is a world in which the 26-year-old could be deployed as a false nine, with Bryan Mbeumo off the right and Amad off the left, with the Ivorian a similarly gung-ho, relentless presence, with Dorgu-esque speed to boot.

Equally too, Carrick could repurpose 18-year-old Shea Lacey as a left-winger, despite having typically been deployed off the right in the youth ranks, with United seeing success in having a natural left-footer on that side in recent weeks.

With Joshua Zirkzee also an option to take on a Cunha-style role off the left, as too is Mason Mount, Carrick isn’t exactly short of options, thankfully.

That said, if it is a Dorgu 2.0 that he is looking for, the Englishman might already have the perfect fit in the academy.

Man Utd might have already signed the next Dorgu

In Cunha and Mbeumo, INEOS have gone down the route of ready-made, Premier League-proven signings, although many of their recent incomings have been with one eye on the future in mind.

Heaven and Dorgu certainly fit that category, as too does Diego Leon, with the 18-year-old having arrived from Cerro Porteno on a £6m deal over the summer.

Originally signed early last year, before belatedly moving to Manchester after turning 18, the Paraguayan sensation is still waiting for a first-team chance, having largely featured for the U21 side to date.

While a left-back by trade, the teenager’s deployment as a wing-back, like Dorgu, points to him potentially being unleashed further forward too, mirroring the Dane in being a really versatile asset for Carrick to wield.

Like Dorgu too, much of Leon’s game relies on his remarkable pace and power, with analyst and Como scout Ben Mattinson remarking that he’s “like a steam train” when in full flow.

That almost unstoppable quality was on display during his previous spell back 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 outings in Italy.

That attack-minded brilliance has also been seen in the United youth ranks, with Leon surging from his own half to score a stunning solo strike against Tottenham Hotspur’s U21 side.

The manner in which he drove from deep was Dorgu-esque, or even – dare we say it – Gareth Bale-esque, ensuring the youngster could well be another surprise, left-footed package down that flank.

There have been claims by journalist Ben Jacobs that such has been Leon’s progress of late, he is deemed to be ahead of schedule, with United and INEOS yet to decide on what to do on that left flank heading into the summer as a result.

In the long-term, he might well be vying to challenge Luke Shaw at left-back, but if a senior bow is to arrive, deploying Leon as a direct Dorgu replacement could be a worthwhile venture in the short-term.

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