Manchester United suffered a bittersweet draw against Spurs in a performance that was a repeat of their draw against Nottingham Forest, but they have a new undisputed first-choice starter now.
The game against Nottingham Forest was the first time Ruben Amorim named an unchanged side, and he made three changes for the visit to Spurs.
It hints that the Man Utd manager is finally getting close to his ideal team, although a triple injury blow vs Spurs will test that theory.
What’s extremely encouraging, however, is the emergence of a new undisputed first-choice player in the team who was an absolute monster vs Spurs.
Ruben Amorim must take note of Patrick Dorgu
Patrick Dorgu was always seen as a project player thrust into the brightest spotlight straightaway at Old Trafford, so some growing pains were expected.
In an ideal world, he would have been backup to a first-choice player, but when the first-choice player is Diogo Dalot, Dorgu deserves more chances.
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He lent strength to that argument with a monstrous display vs Spurs, where he threw himself into duels with abandon, and was a foul magnet throughout.
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Dorgu was the most fouled player during the game, and he won a game-high nine duels to keep United in control of the game when Spurs pushed for an equaliser (Stats courtesy of FotMob).
It’s not a coincidence that the team conceded twice after he came off in the 80th minute, as his natural left-footedness and physicality thwarted Spurs on every occasion until his departure.
Amorim was choosing not to fix what wasn’t broken by continuing to select Dalot because he was a part of a winning team.
Now that Dorgu has come in and made the most of his opportunity against a big team, the left wing-back spot should be his to lose again.
Dorgu is a long-term investment unlike Diogo Dalot
It can be argued that even if Dorgu was struggling and left his spot open for Dalot to take it, Amorim should have taken the long-term view.
That is because Dorgu’s age and potential make him a long-term investment worth persisting with through growing pains.
The light at the end of the tunnel is bright in Dorgu’s case, while Dalot is what he is, and it’s extremely unlikely he improves another level.
The Portuguese is a perfectly serviceable role player who is a model professional off the pitch, so his contribution should be appreciated.
What shouldn’t happen is dropping Dorgu for him, who has the potential to lock down that left wing-back position for the next decade.
Just like Senne Lammens in goal, Dorgu is the long-term play here who can provide an immediate upgrade as well.
It’s a no-brainer who the left wing-back position should go to, even more so after his game against Spurs.