PATRICK DORGU HITS BACK AT RUBEN AMORIM’S "ANXIOUS" COMMENTS IN NEW INTERVIEW
Patrick Dorgu addresses Ruben Amorim’s "anxiety" comments, crediting Michael Carrick for his Manchester United resurgence and form.
Patrick Dorgu felt the sting from Ruben Amorim’s criticism after Amorim said you could “feel the anxiety” whenever Dorgu got the ball during those rough final weeks at Old Trafford.
Amorim, who had taken over after leaving Sporting Lisbon, got sacked by United in early January. The results just weren’t good enough during his 14 months in charge. Then Michael Carrick came in as the interim boss, and things started to turn around.
Back in November, after a 1-0 loss to Everton, Amorim pointed the finger at Dorgu, who’d joined from Lecce for £25 million the previous year. “You can feel the anxiety every time Patrick touches the ball,” he said. Honestly, that probably cut a bit deeper than he expected.
Four months later, and looking back, Dorgu admits Amorim’s words got under his skin, but he tried to turn them into motivation to prove himself.
“It hit me a little bit when Amorim said that,” Dorgu told The Telegraph. “When your coach criticises you, of course, it affects you. But I tried to take it in stride and improve my game.”
He was starting to hit his stride before Amorim left. When some of his teammates headed to Afcon, Dorgu found himself playing more and felt his rhythm coming back.
“I just tried to carry that confidence over to playing under Fletcher and Carrick,” he said. “I wanted to play with more freedom, just show what I could do.”
Dorgu hadn’t played since January because of a nasty hamstring injury he picked up in a 3-2 win at Arsenal, a game where he actually scored. He’d been one of Carrick’s brightest performers in those early weeks right before getting hurt.
Now, under Carrick, United are pretty much locked in for a Champions League return next season, and Carrick’s got a real shot at the permanent job. Looking back on Amorim’s comments, Dorgu feels they came when his confidence was at rock bottom, with the team struggling all around him.
“I don’t think ‘anxious’ is the right word,” Dorgu said. “It wasn’t that. I just had no confidence, and the team was struggling.”
He felt the timing of Amorim’s remarks was off, especially since he’d been playing well with his national team. “I don’t see how I can play well in one place and then be called anxious in another. I think he just said it at the wrong time.”
INSIDE SENNE LAMMENS’ BLUEPRINT FOR MAN UNITED’S MASSIVE 2026 SUMMER TRANSFER OVERHAUL
"We want to be stronger." Read Senne Lammens' honest assessment of Manchester United’s squad needs after the Sunderland draw.
Senne Lammens isn’t hiding from the truth; he knows Manchester United have to beef up their squad this summer if they want to handle both the Premier League and Champions League next season.
Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Sunderland showed just how thin United are right now. Casemiro, Benjamin Sesko, and Manuel Ugarte all sat out with injuries, and you could feel their absence on the pitch.
It’s been a weird season for United. They played just 40 games, the fewest in over a century, because they were eliminated from Europe and both domestic cups so early. But now they’re back in the Champions League, and Lammens realises the team has to get deeper if they want to compete seriously.
“Yeah, definitely. This league’s tough, and next year’s schedule is going to be insane,” the goalkeeper said. “You want to have enough reliable players, people who can step up whenever they’re needed.”
Lammens made it clear that United must invest in new signings during the summer window. He’s not saying the squad lacks quality now, but he knows things will get tougher. “Honestly, I think we’ve got a lot of talent this year,” he said. “But next season’s going to ask a lot more from us, and you need to be ready for injuries and everything that can come with a busy year like today, when we missed a few regular starters. Being able to call on others to jump in really matters.”
He wants a strong, well-rounded group ready for the challenges ahead. “We’re already building towards that, but we want to be even stronger for next season.”
Some people wondered if United relaxed after they clinched their Champions League spot by beating Liverpool last weekend. Lammens brushed that idea off. He said head coach Michael Carrick was all over them, reminding everyone to finish the season on a high.
“I don’t think so, not for me at least,” Lammens said. “The manager made it clear that these last games are important. We want as many points as we can get and to finish as high as possible. How you end the season carries over. It’s your launchpad for next year. We want to keep the momentum going.”
He didn’t want to hear any excuses. “Honestly, if we’d played at Sunderland a few weeks ago before securing the Champions League, it still would’ve been tough. That wasn’t in our minds.”
Carrick echoed those thoughts after the match. He sounded almost annoyed when asked if the players were mentally on holiday already.
“I get almost offended by that,” he said. “The way the players prepared and battled out there, it’s clear they’re still focused. If we’d been off it, we’d have lost. Sunderland pushed us hard at times.”
He thinks the pride and responsibility of playing for Manchester United is all the motivation the team needs. “That’s what keeps us sharp, knowing we represent something big. That doesn’t guarantee we’ll always play brilliantly, but it’s enough to fight through tough days.”
MANCHESTER UNITED HOLD ADVANCED NEGOTIATIONS FOR RECORD-BREAKING £18M BETWAY SPONSORSHIP
Despite the upcoming front-of-shirt gambling ban, explore how Man United’s Betway deal targets training apparel at Carrington.
Manchester United are currently discussing a potential sponsorship deal with Betway, reportedly worth up to £18 million. This comes despite the Premier League having banned betting companies from featuring as main shirt sponsors starting from the 2026-27 season.
Back in 2023, Premier League clubs collectively agreed to remove gambling logos from the front of their shirts. From that point, no top-flight team will carry betting advertisements on their kits during matches. But this new deal would see Betway appear on United’s training gear, not their matchday shirts.
According to reports from the MEN, talks have progressed significantly. If an agreement were reached, the Betway logo would be quite visible on the training apparel worn by players at Carrington, United’s training ground. That means fans would regularly see the branding in video footage and photos taken during training sessions.
Previously, United’s training kits featured Tezos, a blockchain company, until that partnership ended in June 2025. Betway has its own history with English football; they’ve been shirt sponsors for West Ham United and maintain global gambling partnerships with several Premier League clubs, including Manchester City, Arsenal, and Brighton & Hove Albion.
The financial terms on the table for this Betway deal would be substantially close to £18 million, putting it on a similar scale to Bayern Munich’s partnership with Allianz, which includes stadium naming rights. This is quite a significant figure for a single training kit sponsor.
This season, United have gone without a sponsor on their training gear. After the Tezos contract expired, the club chose not to rush into a new agreement. They wanted to carefully evaluate potential partners, both from a financial standpoint and in terms of brand alignment.
There were even conversations with the African division of the Six Rivers Foundation, a conservation project in which United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has invested. However, those discussions didn’t lead to a deal.
When majority owners Joel and Avram Glazer visited Carrington earlier this year, commercial revenue and sponsorship opportunities were among the key topics addressed. The club has also brought in marketing agency Two Circles, where ex-United sales manager Leo Thompson works, to help find a new sleeve sponsor, given that the current contract with DXC ends this summer.
Securing Champions League qualification for next season under Michael Carrick’s leadership has somewhat eased the process. United guaranteed their place in Europe’s top competition after a 3-2 victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford, which should make the club more attractive to potential commercial partners.
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