Man Utd’s Patrick Dorgu ‘looked inside’ after Ruben Amorim’s confidence remarks

Patrick Dorgu feels he has reacted well to Ruben Amorim’s remarks about his confidence having “looked inside” and built himself into a Manchester United match-winner over the past month.

The 21-year-old has had an up and down time since arriving from Serie A side Lecce in February and becoming the Portuguese’s second signing in a deal worth up to 35 million euros (£29.3million).

Playing for United brings unique pressures and spotlight, which Amorim felt had dimmed Dorgu’s decision-making and displays as the manager said he could “feel the anxiety” every time he touched the ball.

Last month’s comments created ripples and have elicited a positive response from the versatile Denmark international, whose wondrous volley sealed a battling 1-0 Boxing Day win against Newcastle at Old Trafford.

“The manager spoke about my confidence a few weeks ago, so I just looked inside and tried to understand what he meant,” Dorgu said. “And I just tried to build myself up.

“Obviously my team-mates help me as well. I spoke to Bruno (Fernandes) and some of the leader group in my team, and they just try to help me on a daily basis to grow in confidence in training and stuff.”

Asked specifically about Amorim’s public remarks, Dorgu said: “Of course it’s never nice to get criticism.

“But you will always get it as a player and you need to react well to it, and I think I’ve reacted well in the last couple of games.

“We got players at AFCON and injured players, so this is my chance to show I belong in this team, and I feel like I’m doing it in the last couple of games, so I just need to keep going and try to keep the manager happy.”

Dorgu surprisingly started on the right wing against Newcastle as Amorim plumped for a back four in the absence of seven senior players, including talisman Fernandes.

The 21-year-old impressed there and produced an all-action display as he ended in a more regular wing-back role as United fought for just a second clean sheet of the season.

“I’ve done that at my old team as well, so it’s nothing new to me,” Dorgu said of his more advanced wide role. “I’m just happy to score the goal.

“I knew already a few days ago, so I just tried to remember how to play there.

“It’s the same (as wing-back), just you come inside to your stronger foot, so sometimes it’s even easier to attack and connect with the team-mates, so I find it really easy.”

When asked if this was his best day in a United shirt, Dorgu said without hesitation: “Yeah, 100 per cent, really happy with the goal and the three points today.

“It’s not that kind of strike (I do) in training, but I’ve been training to shoot more in the games and I think I hit it really well. I’m really happy that it went in.”

The Boxing Day victory against Newcastle was United’s first Old Trafford triumph in two months and 2025 ends with the visit of rock-bottom Wolves on Tuesday.

Dorgu said: “We need to win the next game as well to build more confidence. You could see what it meant to everyone to win this game.”