Manchester United continue to work towards signing Lecce’s Patrick Dorgu in the ongoing January transfer window, with Saturday morning updates sounding positive for the Red Devils.
The Denmark international, who has impressed for the Italian side this season, has shown his versatility by playing not just at left-back but on the right wing, left wing and as a wing-back. He has three goals and one assist in this campaign but the 20-year-old boasts an ability to cover distance and progress the ball forward.
Currently into only his third season at the Via del Mare after his arrival from Nordsjælland, Dorgu has also attracted attention from Napoli and Juventus, even if Manchester United look the prime candidate.
Sport Witness spoke exclusively to Nordsjælland technical director Alexander Riget, who has watched the youngster grow since he was a schoolboy in the Danish club’s ‘Right to Dream’ setup.
Nordsjælland’s famed structure has brought through players such as West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus, Southampton’s Kamaldeen Sulemana, Sporting’s Conrad Harder, Brighton’s Simon Adingra and Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard.
Speaking of Dorgu’s rise, Riget explained the youngster was picked up by Nordsjælland when he was very young.
“He played in a club not far from Nordsjælland – about 10kms away. It’s called AB, it actually means Academic Football club which is a very traditional football club in Denmark. Our scouts gave us some tips about him and then we, including myself and some of the other ones, went out and had a good scouting process on him.
“When he was an U12s player, he played one year above his age group. We also had some other players and their parents who knew him quite well because he also has a Nigerian background and we also have some other players from Nigeria.”
During Dorgu’s earliest years with the club’s academy structure, Riget was coaching the U10s to U15s and explains young Patrick was always a very football-minded individual.
“The community and so on is developing with a lot of social media nowadays. He’s not that kind of personality. He was really a football player. Like when the other players do something on the weekend, he was playing football with his brothers and sister. So he’s a real football player. He was always having a ball at his feet.”
Riget also talked about Dorgu’s quiet character. Despite not being a stand out player at an early age, his determination always shone through and a similar attitude is still visible whenever he plays for Lecce.
“He’s also quite a silent guy. He is not one who is speaking a lot but he’s always been very determined. He has been in a group of players at Nordsjælland where he was not standing out, but he was a good player because we could see quite good potential in him.”
Riget believes that Dorgu’s development escalated when he began playing with the Nordsjælland U19s side and there was a likelihood he could have made it to the club’s senior team as well, before he moved to Lecce in the summer of 2022.
“He developed very well at the end of the U19s period. At the same time, we also had some good players like Martin Frese, who is in Italy at Hellas Verona. And also Daniel Svensson, who is a Sweden national team player. I think he could also have made it for us at that time but considering the timing, the decision to move made sense for him.”
The 20-year-old initially started playing for Lecce’s Primavera side in the 2022/23 season before becoming a permanent fixture for the coastal club’s first-team.
Riget is pleasantly surprised by the quick development.
“I don’t think we could forecast that. We could see his quality, his determination, his behaviour and we could see he was a talented player for sure. But I think things have gone a little faster than we expected.
“Also if you look at his history, he came into the Danish teams quite late. He played four or five games for the U21s. It’s not the totally normal way. Things have gone fast and that has been impressive. I think it’s Patrick himself who should have the biggest applause for that.”
Beyond Dorgu himself and Nordsjælland’s well-run structure, the player has been supported excellently by his parents and those around him.
Riget believes that they have played a key role in his development and making sure he takes the right steps at the correct time.
“He has two brothers and a sister. I don’t know if his sister still plays football but I think she also plays handball. His brothers are playing football. One of them is in Italy now as well. He’s a striker. The older one is a goalkeeper at a lower club in Denmark.
“His parents have always been very supportive and they’ve always been good at finding the right balance. That is also key in talent development. When to push and when to protect and when to help out and I always think we as a club have had a very good collaboration with his family and have also been supportive when needed – to us and to him.”
Riget also believes that even though Dorgu is not the most extroverted footballer out there, he has had a very no-frills attitude towards the game. That provides a calm approach towards games and his focus will allow him to succeed at a major club like Manchester United.
“I’m not surprised from his mentality and personality that he can do it.
“Because he has never been a player who has been nervous before a game or anxious about it. I will say he is very uncomplicated. He is always like – put me on the pitch and then I will perform. That’s a good asset to have if you want to become a football player and I’m not surprised that he has been capable of taking the steps from a mental perspective because he’s just playing football and doing the job.”
Dorgu’s attitude and no-nonsense approach towards football isn’t the only thing that puts him in a good place to proceed at the highest level.
Riget believes the versatile full-back boasts an incredible fitness record and he has had that since his earliest years in Denmark.
“He’s never injured – never. He played for Nordsjælland for 6 or 7 years and I can’t remember him having one day where he was injured, which is very abnormal when you are growing. That is also a very good thing.”
More than that, Dorgu comes across as a grounded individual and even though he plays in Italy, he still shows up at Nordsjælland’s training ground to watch the younger generations play.
Riget says: “I’m very happy that he’s still showing up at Nordsjælland to watch his former teammates.
“One day, I was not aware that he was there. He was home from Lecce for some reason and then he was sitting in the stands to watch training with some of the players and that makes me proud. He has had a good journey at Nordsjælland and we are very happy about it. Some of his best friends are still playing in our club. It shows me that he had a very good time at Nordsjælland.”
Riget, who himself has risen through the club from north of Denmark, states that the club is very proud of what Dorgu has achieved in a quick time.
Even though Nordsjælland have played a role in his rise to stardom, he also credits the player and his family for making it all happen.
“Our history shows that in some way we know what we are doing and the results prove that.
“At the end of the day, it’s always the players who have to do the job. I think in this case he’s the one who has done the job and of course we have helped him on the way but the big reason why he is in the situation now is because of himself and his family.”