Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has gotten the best out of Patrick Dorgu and is ready to do the same for Lisandro Martinez. He will get to work with Martinez in just a few days, though he did state that Dorgu’s injury will take longer.
On Sunday, Man United will face a dangerous Crystal Palace side at Old Trafford, and at the press conference before the game, the Man United head coach somewhat left the door open for Martinez to be a part of the proceedings.
Carrick said of the injuries to Dorgu and Martinez, via utdreport, “Patrick [Dorgu], we’re still talking weeks, but he’s progressing well. Licha [Lisandro Martinez] is much closer to a return than Patrick. It will only be a matter of days. We’ll see in the coming days.”
Licha has recovered well from his torn ACL to be a real factor for Manchester United this season, recently standing out in the 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. He has been out since the West Ham United clash, but if he is only days away from returning, that does put him in contention for Palace, pending how he trains.
Dorgu has been one of the revelations under Carrick, shining in a more forward role as a left winger, rather than the left wing back role the former Lecce man was forced into under Ruben Amorim.
With Carrick as manager, Dorgu has been playing more freely with ball progression as a dribbler and that something special athletically, even recording more tackles per game under the Englishman.
Having Dorgu back will be a big boost to Man United’s depth and defensive work, but it might take him until after the March international break for Dorgu to be ready again.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.