Michael Carrick is looking to add a left winger to his squad this summer but there are other areas in more urgent need of attention.

Ruben Amorim claimed back in November that you could “feel the anxiety every time Patrick [Dorgu] touched the ball”. If the former Manchester United boss tuned in to watch Dorgu’s stellar showing against Brighton on Sunday then he is the one who would have been left sweating.

Amorim pulled no punches in press conferences during his time at Old Trafford, and his own players often found themselves the target of his sharp right hooks in the Carrington media room.

His assessment of Dorgu was unnecessary, piling further pressure on a 21-year-old who was struggling to justify the £25million fee United paid to sign him in January. Six months on and Dorgu looks a completely different player.

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A move into a more advanced role has brought the best out of the former Lecce man, and on Sunday he provided a timely reminder of his qualities.

His goal tally on the south coast could, and perhaps should, have been two, yet his movement, pace and link-up play caused Brighton no end of problems as United cruised to a final day victory at a sun-drenched Amex Stadium.

While a midfield overhaul tops United’s summer to-do list, left-wing has also been earmarked as a position in need of strengthening. But with Dorgu showing no ill effects of the injury that kept him sidelined for nearly three months at the back end of the season, and Matheus Cunha proving he can do a job on the left in Dorgu’s absence, it begs the question why United would prioritise left-wing reinforcements when other areas of the squad are more in need of attention.

Deputies to Senne Lammens and Benjamin Sesko could be needed this summer, but it’s at left-back where United have more pressing concerns.

With 19 Premier League appearances in two years prior to the start of this season, few expected Luke Shaw to start all 38 of United’s league games this term, but his inclusion in the starting XI on Sunday saw him do just that. Next season, United will expect to add at least 20 games to the calendar on top of the paltry 40 they played this season, and failure to sign back-up and competition for Shaw would be a grave oversight.

Shaw has played 40 games or more in just three of his 12 seasons at Old Trafford, and so if United are to challenge on multiple fronts next term then a reliable deputy at left-back is a must.

Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui have filled in on the left at times but both are better suited to the right, while Tyrell Malacia has played his final game in a United shirt. Dorgu has shown too much promise in an advanced role to be pushed into a back four, and all other in-house options are far too inexperienced to be thrown into the deep end when needed.

Michael Carrick spoke of the experience Shaw can offer the group next season when asked about the role he will play in 2026/27, saying: “He’s at that stage now where he’s got an awful lot of experience, he’s been here for a long time, he knows the club, he knows what it feels like, he knows the ups and he’s suffered some of the more challenging times, you know, so next season I think his experience will be valuable, however many games he plays.”

The final few words of that answer felt particularly telling.

United have been linked with a number of left-backs recently, with Newcastle’s Lewis Hall and Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly both mentioned as possible targets. Neither would come cheap, and so if United do spend big on a midfield overhaul and a new left winger, it’s hard to see them being able to invest heavily in a left-back.

A rejig of the to-do list could be needed.