Mainoo and Yoro back Dorgu to reach new heights at Manchester United next season

Patrick Dorgu has been earmarked as Manchester United’s breakout star of next season by two of his own teammates, with Kobbie Mainoo and Leny Yoro both independently naming the 21-year-old when asked who to watch from the squad in the coming campaign.

Dorgu finished the season with four goals and four assists, operating across multiple positions — left wing-back, left midfield, left wing and right wing — under both Ruben Amorim and his successor Michael Carrick. He capped the campaign with a goal and an assist in United’s 3-0 win at Brighton.

Mainoo was unequivocal in his assessment. “I’d say Patrick [Dorgu]. I’d say he can go up another level again. In training, some of the stuff he’s doing, you can see him really pushing,” the England midfielder said.

Yoro pointed to Dorgu’s positional flexibility as the source of his threat. “Sometimes he plays winger as well, I think in this position, [he’s] really dangerous for the opponent. He gives a lot to the team as well,” the French defender said.

Dorgu’s most eye-catching display of the season came against Manchester City, where he scored in a 2-0 victory from a left-wing berth — only his second start in that position this term. The performance prompted Carrick to resist locking the Denmark international into a single role.

“I think he was immense last week, his work rate and the way he played the position, but the threat, constant threat,” Carrick said in January. “And the goal was the obvious one but I think his general play was something we were really pleased about. I wouldn’t want to pin him down [to a position], to be honest. I think he can do both, but certainly attacking-wise in that threat, he was pretty impressive.”

Dorgu himself expressed enthusiasm about Carrick’s permanent appointment following the Brighton win, suggesting the squad are energised by the direction the new manager is taking the club. “You can see the impact from him since the first day he came, so it’s good to have him and hopefully we’ll do even better next season,” Dorgu said. “The formation has changed, and the start place is a bit different to the old coach. So I think we’re all just trying to improve and game by game we’re getting even better. So yeah, it’s good to have him and his ideas and everything, so we’re all excited for the next season.”