Manchester United confirmed the signing of left-back Patrick Dorgu as Ruben Amorim made his first signing since taking over the club a few months ago.
It will take time, but the former Sporting CP manager is slowly building the building blocks ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
The Red Devils also showed interest in Mathys Tel as Amorim was keen on bolstering his attacking options, but no deal materialised.
Why Manchester United missed out on Mathys Tel
Tel turned down an offer to join Tottenham Hotspur which left the door ajar for the Old Trafford side to make their move for the Frenchman before the window closed.
According to reports in France, however, Bayern Munich were “too greedy” during discussions with United, meaning the youngster wasn’t going to make the move to Manchester this window.
Instead, he ended up heading to Spurs in a remarkable turn of events after the player had initially rejected the advances of Ange Postecoglou and Co.
This should come as a big blow to the Red Devils, chiefly because they’ve also got rid of fellow winger Marcus Rashford.
Man United should regret selling their own Tel
Back in the summer of 2023, Erik ten Hag sold Swedish forward Anthony Elanga to Nottingham Forest for a fee of just £15m. 18 months later, the club must surely regret this sale, especially as Elanga could have been their own answer to Tel.
Under Ten Hag in the 2022/23 campaign, Elanga registered just two assists across 26 matches in all competitions. Hence, when the £15m offer arrived, the Dutchman felt he wasn’t good enough to be a key player for him.
The 22-year-old soon began to prove him wrong. In his first season at the City Ground, Elanga scored five Premier League goals, chipping in with nine assists, as the club finished 17th, narrowly avoiding relegation back to the Championship.
This season has been a totally different experience for the club as Nuno Espírito Santo has guided them into the top four, with a 7-0 victory over Brighton recently proving just how good they have become.
|
Anthony Elanga vs Premier League wingers |
|
|---|---|
|
Metric |
2024/25 Percentile |
|
Goals |
38% |
|
Assists |
93% |
|
Key passes |
77% |
|
Crosses |
96% |
|
Goal-creating actions |
93% |
|
Via FBref |
|
During that match, Elanga registered three assists while also making three key passes and succeeding with 66% of his dribble attempts, causing plenty of damage in the final third.
Overall, the winger has scored three times while grabbing eight assists in the top flight this season. Add in the fact that he currently ranks in the top 7% for assists and the top 4% for crosses when compared to positional peers in the Premier League this term, Elanga’s move to the Forest has been an inspired one.
Indeed, analyst Ben Mattinson lavished praise on the youngster in November 2023, just months after leaving United, saying: “What a bargain he’s proving to have been for Forest. Man Utd had a stinker letting him go and especially for that fee.”
The Red Devils certainly sold their own version of Tel – an exciting younger winger – far too hastily.
Sell him on deadline day: Amorim must axe 5/10 Man Utd dud after Palace
Manchester United fell to yet another Premier League defeat against Crystal Palace this afternoon.
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By
Ethan Lamb
Feb 2, 2025