Man United could’ve had the ‘best left-back in the world’ – but went for Patrick Dorgu instead

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When Ruben Amorim was desperate to sign a left wing-back, Manchester United moved for Patrick Dorgu.

United wrapped up the £25million deal with Serie A side Lecce last January and the 20-year-old was immediately tasked with improving Amorim’s side at both ends of the pitch.

Young and inexperienced at the top level, he will need more time to adapt to the Premier League, but his mixed start to life at Old Trafford may leave supporters wishing they had looked elsewhere.

It certainly doesn’t help that one target United kept a close eye on has been unstoppable this season.

Nuno Mendes is the world’s ‘best left-back’

Back in January, Fabrizio Romano reported that Milos Kerkez and Nuno Mendes were also on the shortlist.

Patrick Dorgu was ultimately the man selected to solve Amorim’s headache at left-back, but in hindsight, this was not a move that would guarantee instant success.

Kerkez is struggling to find his feet at Liverpool after arriving from Bournemouth over the summer, while Mendes has deservedly earned plaudits for his heroics for PSG.

PSG will take on Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday night, and ahead of the showdown, Achraf Hakimi made a bold statement about his team-mate.

“Lamine [Yamal] will face the best left-back in the world, Nuno Mendes,” Hakimi said. “He has already shown that he is capable of stopping him.”

Manchester United’s failure to land Mendes was simply a question of money. Various reports stated his price tag was £51m, a figure Ineos were not prepared to match, especially with the club’s finances in disarray.

Nuno Mendes has already played under Ruben Amorim

Mendes worked under Ruben Amorim at Sporting Lisbon before he headed to PSG on loan in the summer of 2021. A year later, the move became permanent after his £32m release clause was triggered.

Despite only being coached by Amorim for one full campaign, he more than stood out, making 47 appearances. He was also given his first-team debut in June 2020 at the age of 17 by the current United boss.

Mendes went on to win the Portuguese top-flight and League Cup in 2020-21 and played 29 times in the league, scoring once and registering two assists.

After he sealed his departure to PSG, Amorim admitted he was disappointed to see him go.

“It’s a shame to see him in a PSG shirt,” he said. “I wish him all the luck in the world. He’s missed because he was a really funny kid.”