Manchester United's players will return to Carrington later this week to begin pre-season training for the new campaign

Manchester United's squad will return to Carrington later this week to kick off preparations for the new campaign – though Patrick Dorgu has already stolen a march on his teammates after grafting away from the training complex. Anticipation is building at Old Trafford following Michael Carrick's successful stabilisation of the club after Ruben Amorim's mid-season exit.

The former United midfielder oversaw 17 fixtures as interim boss, claiming 12 victories as he steered the side to third spot in the Premier League and delivered a much-anticipated Champions League comeback. That remarkable transformation secured the Englishman a two-year deal as permanent manager and has given fans fresh belief that the club can mount a serious challenge for silverware throughout the 2026-27 season.

Pre-season officially kicks off on Thursday, with the initial group of players heading back to Carrington for fitness assessments and training sessions. Over the coming weeks, Carrick and his backroom team will concentrate on restoring fitness levels, fine-tuning their tactical blueprint and bedding in any fresh arrivals ahead of United's Premier League curtain-raiser away to Hull City on August 22.

But preparations will get underway without a complete squad, with several supporters' favourites still away on international duty at the expanded FIFA World Cup in North America, which will wrap up a week later than normal on July 19. That means Carrick will initially be missing a number of crucial figures, including Kobbie Mainoo, Lisandro Martinez and skipper Bruno Fernandes.

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Instead, work will commence with those who either didn't make their national team squads or represent nations that failed to qualify for the tournament. Among them is Danish wing-back Dorgu, who displayed glimpses of his immense potential last season when deployed in a more attacking role on the left flank.

The 21-year-old found the net in Carrick's opening match against Manchester City before memorably bagging United's Goal of the Season with a 30-yard volley in the league victory away at Arsenal. His progress was then disrupted by a hamstring problem that sidelined him for a significant portion of the run-in before making his comeback for the final fixture of the campaign.

Dorgu now looks intent on making an immediate impact, with clips circulating on social media showing him working with a personal trainer ahead of United's official return date. Dressed in a retro France World Cup 1998 shirt, the left-footed winger looked razor-sharp as he put in extensive work on his movement, agility, dribbling and one-on-one finishing.

The additional graft will undoubtedly delight Carrick, who will be hoping Dorgu can provide the answer to United's left-wing headache. It also appeared to catch the eye of several United fans, who expressed their excitement at the prospect of watching the youngster in action this campaign.

"He's got a serious left foot on him. For me, he should definitely play left-wing for us," said one supporter. One United fan drew comparisons with Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo, writing: "When I saw [Antoine] Semenyo posting something like this, I knew he was gonna be another level the upcoming season. Now seeing Dorgu, I have the feeling he'll be on another level too."

Another social media user seized the chance to take a swipe at former manager Amorim, who regularly fielded Dorgu as a wing-back in a 3-4-3 formation. "His finishing is nuts, what on earth was Amorim doing with this kid," he said.

The Copenhagen-born talent was putting in the work alongside Kwaku Ohemeng, a UK-based coach boasting 15 years' experience who has previously worked with Premier League stars including Adama Traore and Liverpool's Jeremie Frimpong.