Manchester United are headed to Ireland for a training camp, and they’ll do so with Patrick Dorgu in the ranks in a fitness boost that’s bittersweet.
Since sustaining a serious injury against Arsenal in just the second game under Michael Carrick, Patrick Dorgu has been on the road to recovery.
He started gym work during the international break, ramped up to individual training on grass after the break ended, and has now been included in the training camp squad for Ireland as well.
If Dorgu has been deemed fit enough to join the squad, then it puts an extremely worrying spin on the injury of his Man Utd teammate.
Matthijs de Ligt and Luke Shaw of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Everton at Old Trafford on November 24, 2025
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Who should drop out when Patrick Dorgu returns?
Does he get back into the starting team immediately?
PATRICK DORGU knee slides at the Emirates.
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Patrick Dorgu’s recovery puts worrying spin on Matthijs de Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt last played for Man Utd on November 30 against Crystal Palace, after which the then head coach, Ruben Amorim, described his absence as being down to a “small issue”.
That small issue hasn’t seen him take to the pitch since then, and Amorim has been followed by Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick as the Man Utd manager.
Carrick has struck a cautious tone, and back injuries are always infamously tricky to deal with, but the lack of updates on his condition has added to the mystifying nature of the whole thing.
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Now that Dorgu, who sustained what was a serious injury at the end of January, almost two months later than De Ligt, is back for the training camp, it puts a worrying spin on De Ligt’s condition.
Despite a two-month head start, De Ligt isn’t even fit enough to even travel with the team, let alone train or even do gym work.
At this point, it’s fair to assume that he won’t play again this season, which is a huge shame because he was on track to have a genuinely world-class season before his absence.
Next season will be a judgement on De Ligt
De Ligt had started to become injury-prone before he arrived at Old Trafford, and his first season at the club was a struggle, too.
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There were glimpses of the world-class player once tipped for superstardom at Ajax, but he struggled to find his rhythm.
This season, when the rhythm was found emphatically, the injury bug struck again, so De Ligt just can’t catch a break.
Either his form is poor, or he’s just plainly unavailable, neither of which is the mark of a reliable player.
Next season will be his third at United, and under Omar Berrada’s rule, the clock would have been ticking on his time at the end of this season.
However, because he did well when he played, it’s fair to assume he won’t be sold this window.
Having said that, if the next season is along similar lines as this one, then United’s patience will break, and rightly so, because they will have invested three years in him.
The next season is one of judgement for De Ligt.
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