Manchester United may have grabbed their third Premier League win in a row, but not everyone left Old Trafford with praise.
Young full-back Patrick Dorgu has come under fire for his shaky display against Brighton & Hove Albion, as United battled to a 4-2 victory.
The win was United’s third straight league success, the first time they’ve done that since February 2024, after beating Sunderland and Liverpool in their last two games.
However, despite the result, Dorgu’s performance was called “dreadful” by Manchester United correspondent Samuel Luckhurst from The Sun.
United dominate, but late nerves spoil the party
United looked in control early on, taking a strong three-goal lead thanks to Matheus Cunha, Casemiro, and Bryan Mbeumo.
The Red Devils were flying and looked set for an easy afternoon, but Brighton found a way back into the game late on.
Danny Welbeck pulled one back for the visitors, and then Charalampos Kostoulas made it 3-2 in stoppage time.
United fans began to fear a collapse before Mbeumo sealed the win with a late strike to make it 4-2.
But it was Dorgu’s foul that drew the most attention and not in a good way.
Dorgu’s costly mistake and harsh criticism
Coming off the bench, Dorgu made a reckless challenge on Yankuba Minteh, earning himself a yellow card.
The Brighton winger’s heavy touch meant he was unlikely to reach the ball, yet Dorgu still slid in and gave away a dangerous free-kick.
From that free-kick, Brighton scored their first goal through Welbeck, shifting the game’s momentum. Luckhurst was quick to criticise, saying:
“Dorgu was dreadful off the bench last week and has already topped it this week. Looked like the foul was committed after Minteh’s heavy touch gave him no chance of getting onto it.”
The comment summed up what many fans felt, Dorgu looked out of confidence and off the pace.
Pressure mounting on Dorgu under Amorim
Dorgu only joined Manchester United in January 2025 from Lecce, and he’s still finding his feet under Ruben Amorim.
The Portuguese boss has yet to settle on his strongest starting eleven, but performances like this won’t help Dorgu’s chances.
While United’s current winning streak will give Amorim some breathing space, players like Dorgu need to improve fast if they want to stay part of his plans.
With competition for places heating up, the full-back will need to show more composure and discipline in the coming games.
United are finally showing signs of progress under Amorim, but careless mistakes could easily undo their hard work.
If Dorgu wants to be part of this rebuilding team, he’ll have to bounce back stronger in training and prove he can handle Premier League pressure.
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