Patrick Dorgu Rejects Amorim Anxiety Claim After November Criticism
Patrick Dorgu said Ruben Amorim picked the wrong word when he described him as anxious on the ball, pushing back on a November criticism that he says hit him a little bit. The Manchester United player said the remark affected him, but he tried to use it to improve his game and recover his confidence.
Amorim’s November remark
After Manchester United’s 1-0 loss to Everton in November, Amorim said: “You can feel the anxiety every time Patrick touches the ball.” Dorgu did not accept that description. “I don’t think that was the word he was looking for. Anxious? I don’t think it was that,” he said in a recent interview with the Telegraph.
He added that the comment landed badly at the time: “It hit me a little bit when Amorim says that because when the coach speaks bad about you [criticises you], it is always going to affect you a little bit.” Dorgu said he tried to take the criticism in the best possible way and improve his game.
Dorgu’s response on the ball
The left-sided player said he later started to find rhythm in the last couple of games before Amorim was sacked. He said he had a good moment and wanted to carry that confidence into the regimes of Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick.
Dorgu also pointed to his form with his national team, saying: “I think he said it at the wrong time because I played well in the national team. I don’t see how I can play well in one and play bad in the other, and all of a sudden I am anxious.” That line is the heart of his dispute with Amorim: he is not denying a poor spell, but he is rejecting the idea that nervousness explained it.
Manchester United’s Liverpool test
The timing matters because Dorgu had fully recovered from his hamstring injury by Monday evening, when he was an unused substitute in Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Brentford. His return to availability gives United another option as they move into a busy stretch and try to build on the recent win.
Manchester United were due to face Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday at 3.30pm, with Dorgu carrying the after-effects of a public critique that he says he felt but did not accept as accurate. The exchange leaves his form and confidence as the relevant storyline, not the label that first followed him out of November.
