Man Utd’s Dorgu impresses in training as pre-season under Carrick begins

Manchester United’s squad will begin filtering back into Carrington later this week for the start of pre-season, but Patrick Dorgu has already stolen a march on his team-mates by putting in extra work away from the club’s training complex.

Anticipation is building around Old Trafford following Michael Carrick’s successful stabilisation of the club after Ruben Amorim’s mid-season departure. The former United midfielder took charge for 17 fixtures as interim boss, winning 12 of them to guide the side to third in the Premier League table and oversee a memorable Champions League comeback.

That turnaround earned Carrick a two-year contract as permanent manager, and supporters now believe United can push for silverware throughout the 2026-27 season.

Squad to trickle back before World Cup returnees arrive

Pre-season officially gets under way on Thursday, when the first group of players report to Carrington for fitness testing and training sessions. Over the following weeks, Carrick and his coaching staff will focus on rebuilding fitness levels, refining the team’s tactical approach and integrating any new signings ahead of United’s Premier League opener away to Hull City on 22 August.

However, preparations will start without several key figures still involved at the expanded FIFA World Cup in North America, which concludes a week later than usual on 19 July. That means Carrick will initially be without the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Lisandro Martinez and captain Bruno Fernandes.

Instead, early sessions will involve players who either missed out on international selection or represent countries that failed to qualify for the tournament — among them Danish wing-back Dorgu, who showed flashes of his ability last season when used in a more advanced role on the left.

Dorgu working with personal trainer ahead of return

The 21-year-old netted in Carrick’s first match in charge against Manchester City before scoring United’s Goal of the Season with a 30-yard volley in the win at Arsenal. His progress was then interrupted by a hamstring injury that kept him out for a large chunk of the run-in, though he did return for the final fixture of the campaign.

Dorgu now appears determined to hit the ground running, with footage circulating on social media showing him training with a personal coach ahead of United’s official pre-season start. Wearing a retro France 1998 World Cup shirt, the left-footed winger looked sharp as he worked on his movement, agility, dribbling and one-on-one finishing.

The additional graft will please Carrick, who will hope Dorgu can solve United’s long-running left-wing dilemma. The clips also caught the attention of United supporters online. “He’s got a serious left foot on him. For me, he should definitely play left-wing for us,” said one fan.

Another supporter drew a comparison with Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo, writing: “When I saw [Antoine] Semenyo posting something like this, I knew he was gonna be another level the upcoming season. Now seeing Dorgu, I have the feeling he’ll be on another level too.”

Another social media user used the opportunity to take a dig at former manager Amorim, who regularly fielded Dorgu as a wing-back in a 3-4-3 formation, saying: “His finishing is nuts, what on earth was Amorim doing with this kid.”

Dorgu was put through his paces alongside Kwaku Ohemeng, a UK-based coach with 15 years’ experience who has previously worked with Premier League players including Adama Traore and Liverpool’s Jeremie Frimpong.