Manchester United players are in international action right now but three players suffered a painful defeat on Sunday night.
Premier League action is on the back burner right now with international football taking full focus this week.
Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United players have been jetting around the world to play for their nations and fans will have been paying close attention to Denmark’s clash with Portugal.
United trio Patrick Dorgu, Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund were all in action against Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot.
Hojlund handed Denmark a win over Portugal on Thursday night, scoring the only goal off the bench.
Sunday saw the two teams meet again with Portugal securing a 5-2 win after extra time, leaving United’s Danish trio heartbroken.
All three players started the game, so let’s take a look at how the Danish media reacted to their displays.
Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
United’s January signing Dorgu actually bagged an assist, setting up teammate Eriksen to score in the second half.
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BT rated Dorgu at four out of six, praising him for recovering from a poor start to turn in a strong display.
The common theme was that Dorgu was really dangerous going forward but lacking defensively
“Was a bit out of place as a left-back in a four-back line – and the Portuguese attacked that mercilessly. But he got better and better after the shock start. And frolicked like a fish off the coast of Porto when he was moved up as a winger. Beautiful assist!”
“A poor start by Patrick Dorgu, who had barely sung the last line of the national anthem before he conceded a penalty. Dorgu’s defensive skills – or lack thereof – are a theme, and they will certainly not be any less so after tonight’s game in Lisbon. It wasn’t good. Then moved further up the pitch in the second half and immediately made an assist. Just to underline the story about him,” added Tipsbladet, highlighting his defensive problems.
“Dorgu played his part in a first half where he actually managed to get ahead and also used his physicality properly. Ended up playing a good international match until his strength ran out and he was substituted,” said DR.
Photo by Miguel Lemos/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Photo by Miguel Lemos/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Eriksen tapped home from Dorgu’s pass to seemingly hand Denmark the victory before Portugal turned the game around.
Eriksen is expected to leave United this summer with his contract expiring, and he will be desperate to impress in any chance he gets as he seeks new employers this summer.
The United midfielder may have scored against Portugal but there were mixed reviews in Denmark.
BT rated Eriksen at just three out of six, suggesting that he ‘disappears’ in big away games.
“We’ve seen it before – that Christian Eriksen disappears a bit from the difficult away games. Especially in the beginning of the game, it was missed that Denmark’s international record holder and best technician grabbed the ball and got some faith into the pressured Danish team. He played his way into the match in the second half, and finally we got that goal,” they said.
“Well, that’s right. It wasn’t his game at all – and yet he’s the one who assists to make it 1-1 and scores to make it 2-2. That’s class! We have to reward the decisive actions on the grading scale,” said Tipsbladet.
“Denmark’s international record holder wasted three good chances, including a missed penalty, against Portugal in the Parken. In Lisbon, he did not get the same opportunities and also seemed a little too hesitant in the game in several situations,” added DR.
Photo by Zed Jameson/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Zed Jameson/MB Media/Getty Images
Striker Hojlund celebrated breaking his United goal drought against Leicester City before heading on international duty.
Hojlund’s confidence surely would have been high having also scored against Portugal, but he couldn’t take that form into Sunday’s defeat.
BT rated Hojlund at three out of six, just like Eriksen, but did see some promising signs from him.
“Sometimes he was as elegant as a two-year-old doing a somersault. Sometimes there were miles between thought and action. But then there were also times when his fierce physique was too much for the Portuguese – despite him being a very lonely Danish striker at times,” they wrote.
“Hard work in the service of the nation, but a few too many balls bounced off him. Nevertheless, approved under difficult working conditions,” said Tipsbladet.
“On Thursday evening, Rasmus Højlund came off the bench and became the match winner with his score to 1-0. This was rewarded with a place in the starting lineup in Lisbon, where he had to utilize his speed and physique, among other things. He also struggled and got a couple of free kicks, but there were also too many bad touches and a situation where Højlund waited far too long to pass to an otherwise free Gustav Isaksen,” added DR.
There were clearly some real ups and downs for United players as Denmark lost to Portugal, but Amorim will hope to see them thrive again upon returning to Old Trafford.