Manchester United faces a warning about the risks of the January transfer window, especially after their £25m signing of Patrick Dorgu hasn’t immediately solved their left wing-back needs.
According to a report from the Manchester Evening News, Manchester United is facing a significant warning regarding the difficulty of the January transfer market, exemplified by the acquisition of Patrick Dorgu in the summer.
The report notes that the mid-season market often sees teams “spend over the odds” and that United’s previous philosophy, expressed by former executive Ed Woodward in 2020, was:
“We will continue to support Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] with a planned, long-term approach to recruitment, focused on the summer windows.”
However, the arrival of Ruben Amorim last summer meant United had to act quickly to sign Dorgu, paying an initial £25million for the Dane to solve the left wing-back issue.
Dorgu’s arrival was praised by Jason Wilcox, who said: “Patrick is a really exciting talent. His strong defensive and attacking attributes, adaptability and work-rate will make him a key part of Ruben Amorim’s squad.
Patrick has had a superb start to his career, and at the age of just 20 we know he will continue to develop under the guidance of our excellent coaching team.”
Despite this praise, the report states that United are “still needing to bring in a wing-back” as Dorgu’s “end product leaves a lot to be desired and he is not ready to be the starting wing-back Amorim needs.”
The current situation, with Diogo Dalot also struggling on the left, means United may choose to “delve back into the market” in January.
However, the club must be cautious, as the warning signs are clear: “Unless United pay over the odds, very few clubs will be willing to offload their top talents midway through a season.”