When Patrick Dorgu can make Man United debut after £30m transfer as Premier League wait expected
Patrick Dorgu may have to wait until mid-February before playing in the Premier League for Manchester United.
Dorgu, 20, is due to become the club's first signing since appointing Ruben Amorim. United are close to agreeing on a deal with Lecce for the left wing-back, reportedly worth around £30million.
After claims about plans for a medical to happen earlier this week, it now appears Dorgu will travel to England on Saturday before finalising a move over the weekend. That apparent delay means the player will unlikely be registered ahead of Sunday afternoon's match against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.
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Clubs must register new signings by midday on the preceding day of their next fixture. For United, that would be noon on Saturday, so with Dorgu reputedly flying into the country that same day, it seems unlikely the process will progress quickly enough to be completed before the clock turns 12.
Therefore, the Denmark international will likely debut in the FA Cup when United host their fourth-round tie against Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester City on Friday night. That occasion could also see Dorgu share the field with international teammates Jannick Vestergaard, Mads Hermansen and Victor Kristiansen and potentially playing alongside Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund for United.
The pause in the Premier League schedule for the country's oldest cup competition means a fortnight's wait between fixtures. Dorgu will likely be a United player for much, if not all, of that time. However, he should eventually make his league bow when United go away to Tottenham Hotspur on February 16.
His first two Premier League games are on the road, with potentially a first and final trip to Goodison Park next on the fixture list for Dorgu. The player's Old Trafford league debut will be against Ipswich Town in United's final match of February, four days after they travel to Everton.
