Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has expressed pride in Patrick Dorgu after the wing-back demonstrated remarkable sportsmanship during United's 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad in the Europa League.
Dorgu, who was involved in several key moments throughout the match, urged referee Benoit Bastien to overturn a penalty decision in United's favor. The Danish player had initially been awarded a spot-kick following a challenge from Hamara Traore in the penalty area, but immediately gestured to the official that Traore had legitimately won the ball, leading to the decision being promptly reversed.
"It depends, it is the right thing to do so I am quite proud of him but I cannot say if it is 0-0 or losing I would have the same response," Amorim told reporters at the post-match press conference, acknowledging the contextual nature of such sporting gestures.
The incident came after Dorgu had already been brought down by Aritz Elustondo for United's second penalty of the night, which contributed to their comfortable victory at Old Trafford.
The £30 million wing-back has shown significant improvement since his previous appearance at Old Trafford against Ipswich, where he had a nightmare performance, gifting a goal and then receiving a red card. Against Real Sociedad, however, Dorgu was one of the standout performers, consistently threatening down the left flank.
Amorim highlighted Dorgu's development: "He did well, he had a great performance. He is learning a lot in that position. He has the physicality." The Portuguese manager's comments suggest Dorgu is adapting well to the wing-back role in Amorim's system.
Beyond his honest penalty gesture, Dorgu's impact on the match was substantial. His surging run forward led to Jon Aramburu bringing him down, resulting in a red card for the Real Sociedad player, which further tilted the match in United's favor.
While Manchester United celebrated their victory, Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil was less than pleased with the officiating. The Dutch referee Bastien awarded United two penalties and showed a red card to Aramburu, decisions that Alguacil felt were unfair.
"We would have liked to have had a neutral referee," the Spanish coach lamented. "We did not deserve a refereeing display like this, neither did this tie, neither did this stadium." Bastien did award a penalty to Real Sociedad for Matthijs de Ligt's challenge on Mikel Oyarzabal, but only after being instructed to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor.
Manchester United, now the only unbeaten team in the Europa League, advance to the quarter-finals where they will face Lyon, who demolished FCSB 7-1 on aggregate in their last-16 tie. The Red Devils return to Premier League action on Sunday with an away fixture against struggling Leicester City.
