Manchester United star with 'world-class potential' has a lot of work to do after Man City display

Finishing touches

Right from the first minute, it was clear Man City were there for the taking if Manchester United were brave enough to push high and believe in their attacking threat. Ruben Amorim’s side worked well to win the ball back on several occasions and created plenty of openings on the counter-attack, only to be thwarted by their disjointed build-up play.

A combination of poor finishing and even worse decision-making saw most of the chances fizzle out into nothing, as United struggled to make those openings count. It has been a recurring theme that has plagued them all season and is almost tedious to criticise, such is the unanimous agreement that it has to be addressed in the summer.

Next season will be Rasmus Hojlund’s third at the club; if he doesn’t show huge signs of improvement, it could be his last.

Patrick Dorgu has work to do

Jason Wilcox hailed Patrick Dorgu as a player with ‘world-class potential’ when he joined Manchester United in the January transfer window. His performance in the Manchester derby was a reminder that it is only that - potential.

Dorgu has endured a mixed start to life in a United shirt, and it must be said he needs to be given time to settle into the Premier League, as well as a full pre-season under Ruben Amorim, before he is fairly judged. Yet that doesn’t mean more shouldn’t be expected of him either.

United targeted Matheus Nunes at right-back from the very start and had plenty of joy down their left flank, but were unable to exploit the obvious weakness they had identified. Alejandro Garnacho’s tendency to cut inside created plenty of space for Dorgu to run into, but even when he did, he lacked the required end product to make it count. There were a couple of poor crosses into the box and one very heavy first touch that ended a glorious shooting opportunity in the blink of an eye on what was a frustrating afternoon for the new arrival. Dorgu could become world-class, but it is a long way off yet.

Double injury boost

Manchester United were handed a double fitness boost against Man City as Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw both returned to the matchday squad to bolster the options available to Ruben Amorim. Mainoo had not featured since the home defeat to Crystal Palace two months ago, while Shaw has only made three substitute appearances all season and not played since the home victory over Everton back in December.

The duo both return to fitness at a time when they are no longer considered part of United’s strongest possible line-up, though their challenge is now to prove they should be. Another interesting aspect is what position they will play in. Mainoo has predominantly featured as a central midfielder during his senior career but showed signs of promise as an attacking midfielder earlier in the season, while Shaw has played mostly as a left-back but could be better suited to a centre-back role under Amorim.

He not only has two more options players available to him, but two players who could each strengthen two positions.

Back in the team

Casemiro only started four of the first 20 matches under Ruben Amorim, but has since started eight of the previous 10 matches across all competitions.

United could still look to sell Casemiro at the end of the season as they look to raise precious transfer funds, but he has made a strong case to remain at the club after a recent resurgence in the starting line up. The Brazilian made 11 tackles in the goalless draw with City on Sunday afternoon, the joint-most by any United player on record in a Premier League game.

His improved form has been an underlying factor in recent weeks, and although the priority should still be to sell him this summer, it might not be such a disaster if he stayed at the club for one more season.

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