Is Left Wing The Right Role For Patrick Dorgu At Man Utd?

As he has done in every appearance he has made under Michael Carrick, Patrick Dorgu started as the left winger in Manchester United's 2-0 defeat to Hull City. 

Marcus Rashford replaced Dorgu at half-time for his first competitive appearance for his boyhood club in over 18 months. Dorgu's substitution did not come as a shock to many. 

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The young Dane took three shots in the first 45 minutes – all off target – and failed to create a chance for any of his teammates. While he made several decent runs into the penalty area, he was rarely found. 

After the match, Michael Carrick was asked if Dorgu was fit after being hooked so early on, to which the Manchester United boss replied with: "Pat's fine, we love him to bits. He's a fantastic player, Pat. He's a great character.

"He's a big part of what we do, and he will be. So it was just one of those decisions. It's nothing personal. Sometimes you've just got to make them, you know, trying to do something a little bit different."

Does Dorgu belong in the frontline for Man Utd? 

Manchester United would not have scored against Hull City had the game continued into the early hours of Sunday (it was a 12:30 Saturday kick-off), including after Dorgu's early substitution. But his performance does raise the question of whether the frontline is the right area of the pitch for him. 

He was signed to play as a left-wing-back under Rúben Amorim, but has been forced to adapt since the Portuguese manager left the club in January. 

Darren Fletcher played Dorgu as both a left back and a left winger during his two matches against Burnley and Brighton. The former Lecce wide player played better as a winger (against Burnley) and continued that form into Michael Carrick's tenure against Manchester City and Arsenal. 

An injury ruled Dorgu out until towards the end of the season, but he made his return to action against Brighton – again starting as the winger. And impressing. 

However, it seems Manchester United are going to play differently this season. There seems to be more of an effort to dominate the ball and try to break teams down, rather than looking to attack on the break. This is a stage at which so many Manchester United teams have failed in the past. Jose Mourinho couldn't do it. Ole Gunnar Solskjær (with Carrick in his coaching staff) couldn't do it. Erik ten Hag couldn't do it. And Rúben Amorim did not make it to that stage. 

Now is Michael Carrick's opportunity, but continuing to use Dorgu further forward, despite his success in the past, could hamper his chances. 

Man Utd 0-2 Hull City: Five Things We Learnt as United Major Flaw ExposedNewly promoted Hull City stunned the Red Devils, exploiting a catastrophic vulnerability to crosses and tactical fragility against back-three systems that leaves Michael Carrick facing an early-season crisis.At the end of the day, Dorgu is not a natural winger 

While Manchester United did not find the back of the net, they looked a better side in the second half. The Red Devils only conceded three shots, while taking 13 of their own (three on target) after the break. 

"We changed things around a little bit in the second half and we kept trying to find a different way, a little bit of finding the spark. It happens, it does happen, it has happened before," said Carrick, referring to his substitutions during the second 45 minutes against Hull City. 

"We've just got to keep finding those solutions, you know, and a little bit is that Ben's been out for quite some time and hasn't trained an awful lot. So there are kind of little bits of reasons for it.

"Bryan [Mbeumo] has been really good for a lot of pre-season and was one of our better players again today." 

Marcus Rashford would be another to include in the 'better players' category for his performance against Hull City. The new No.9 created four chances (the joint most of the game) and combined well with Luke Shaw on multiple occasions. While he was impressive, Rashford may have received so much credit as he was the only natural winger on the pitch for Manchester United for much of the game, although that changed when Shea Lacey was brought on. 

Rashford acted like a winger. He ran at defenders like a winger. He even put crosses into the box like a winger.

Dorgu does run at defenders and put crosses into the box, but not as a natural wide player. It's not an instinct. It is Rashford and it is for Cunha. 

Against teams like Hull City, Dorgu could have more impact as a left back, making marauding runs from defence and cutting it back across goal, as he often does when playing on the wing.

But he simply did not have another effect from the flank against Hull, and that cannot afford to continue. 

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