Carrick hints Dorgu could fill Manchester United's left-back void after failed window moves

Michael Carrick has opened the door to using Patrick Dorgu as a left-back at Manchester United after the club’s transfer window closed without securing cover for the position, following failed late bids for Alejandro Balde and Rayan Ait-Nouri.

With Luke Shaw the only natural left-back in the squad, Carrick acknowledged that Dorgu — signed from Lecce for £25 million in January 2025 — could be asked to revisit the role he occupied in Serie A. Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot are also available as makeshift options.

“He can certainly play there. He has done, without doubt,” Carrick said. “I’m not sitting here saying he can’t do that. It’s just the way we’ve been since I’ve been here.”

The 21-year-old Dane has featured four times under Carrick, exclusively on the wing, but missed a significant portion of last season with a hamstring injury. Carrick framed his return almost as a fresh addition to the group.

“He actually has been injured, unfortunately, for some time. You could almost argue that he played three or four times for us last season, so for me, he’s almost like a new player to have — it’s almost like a new signing in some ways because he’s added so much to the group.”

Dorgu has also shown versatility at international level, operating from the right wing for Denmark and scoring a notable goal from that position during the June internationals.

Carrick was careful not to commit to a permanent positional switch, but left little doubt that the option is on the table as the season progresses.

“He can play left-back. He’s that type where he can do a number of things,” Carrick added. “We just haven’t had to explore that. At some point, we might have to. There are times in training when he does it. And then he’s only young — being such a young age and having the attributes that he’s got, we’ve just got to keep trying to get the most out of him.”