Manchester United's interest in Patrick Dorgu highlights how quickly the Young Denmark International has progressed. He only made his debut in senior football last year, but the Lecce left-back is already looking to take the next step in his career.
Lecce themselves, clinging to their Serie A status for a third season in a row, identified Dorgu in FC Nordsjaelland's famed academy before he had even broken through. At FCN there is also pride and satisfaction in the player's development.
“Our good reconnaissance spotted him quite quickly,” Alexander Riget, their technical director, told Sky Sports. It required Riget and current Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup to make the trip to Jutland to see him. “It's a five-hour drive from here.”
They saw something in Dorgu, only 12 years old at the time. He played “One Year Up” on their U13 team, but was not a standout star. “He was always a good player, but he developed very well a little later, at the age of 16 or 17.” Before long, he was gone.
“His journey is a bit different to many of our other players. Normally they play 50 to 100 games and then move on to a bigger club.” Is that frustrating? “No, we were still a very important part of his journey. We are very happy with his situation at this point.”
It was difficult. Martin Frese, now also in Serie A with Verona, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury that led to him staying in Nordsjaelland longer than expected. Daniel Svensson, a 22-year-old Sweden international, will now remain at the club.
“The pipeline in that position was a little longer than normal, so I think for Patrick the move he made was the right one. Most of our players will come through the first team, but the reason we exist is talent development. If they take another Path, we're still proud.”
Riget speaks warmly about Dorgu's family. His two brothers play, one of them is in Genoa and the other is a goalkeeper in Denmark's lower leagues. His sister plays handball. Their Nigerian-born parents have fully supported them and encouraged their education.
This is necessary in Nordsjaelland, where enormous emphasis is placed on education and character development. “It means a lot to us.” Talent is the main reason why other clubs look to Nordsjaelland for players, but the mentality of their graduates is also important.
“I think him and his family have been the main reason for where he is today, but with our program we can say we have facilitated Patrick's development. We give them a very strong football education, but a big part of it is players to learn away from away the field.
'Always focused'
“Patrick is definitely coachable. He is a very good listener. He is not a man who speaks much. He is quite quiet and you have to be a little patient when asking questions because he is a thinker so he has to get started before he starts saying anything.
“But he is a very determined player. He has always focused on being better. A real footballer. You know how it is with younger players these days, they also have other interests, watching things on their iPad, playing FIFA, doing other things, doing other things, social media.
'Patrick? Go back and look at his social media for things like this. There isn't much. He just played football with his brothers. Every time we were there for a training session, after it was, I couldn't get him off the field. He just wanted to play.
“Another thing that says a lot about him is that I don't remember him ever getting injured since he started with Nordsjaelland. That's seven years in a row, which is very unusual. Of course, I think that also says something about how he treats his body.”
That physicality has become an important aspect of Dorgu's game when he has been asked to move up and down the flank for Lecce. “He comes into the box, arrives for crosses, and that is linked to his physical capacity, which has certainly developed in recent years,” says Riget.
“But he has always been a good runner. He can cover a lot of distance and do it with high intensity. When he played for Nordsjaelland we got the reports from the trackers and he was often one of those with the best and the highest physical figures .”
'Very flexible'
It helps explain why Manchester United may have earmarked him for that specialist wing-back role. “He can play many positions, but we always had an idea that he would be a full-back or a wing-back. He fits that position well,” Riget explains.
“But I do think he is a player who can cover many positions. When he was a young player, I had a game where he played as a striker, he played as a midfielder, as a left winger and as a full back.
Character, robustness, physicality and flexibility. But can he play? Absolute. Dorgu can beat an opponent by bursting to the byline or even cutting inside and firing a shot when playing from the right. There is a belief that he can handle the next step.
“With his technical level in small areas I think it is very difficult to put pressure on him because he is very calm on the ball and very good in tight spaces. He is also good at dribbling. Moving the ball from the opponent Feet is a trademark for him.”
'A good teammate'
In Nordsjaelland they still have a vested interest in his progress. There is a sell out clause. “We made an agreement with Lecce when he moved. Of course we are curious how he will fare.” But not just because of the money. “Because he's one of us.”
Riget added: “Since moving to Italy he has been back to the club many times. He is still a very good teammate for many of his friends in the 2004 age group. I see him in our facility and watch training from the window. He wants to spend time with his old friends.
“We try to support him and our door is always open. He will always be part of our club. Maybe he will return to Nordsjaelland after being abroad for many years. But with the amount of money we are talking about here , It won't be long.”
The adventure for Dorgu has just begun, two seasons in Serie A are just the start for the boy who was spotted in Jutland eight years ago. For the man who took that road trip, there's no reason to think development in Dorgu's game is likely to stop anytime soon.
“For that, look at his development in Lecce and Nordsjaelland. I think it's that character we're talking about, the way he is, how strong he is from a psychological perspective, not being dragged in different directions, always focused.
“I think when you see what he's been able to do over the last few years, I think it would be wrong to say he can't make it further because I think his progression has been very impressive. I think he's a top will become professional at the highest level.”
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