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Manchester United began their pre-season campaign with a 0-1 loss to Championship outfit Wrexham in Helsinki on Saturday.

Despite maintaining a fair amount of possession, the Red Devils struggled to create any real attacking threat throughout the match.

The game itself offered little excitement, but Michael Carrick’s tactical adjustments became the main point of discussion.

In a surprising move, Carrick positioned Leny Yoro at right-back, while Mason Mount operated in a deeper midfield role alongside new signing Andrey Santos.

Patrick Dorgu was deployed further up the pitch, starting as a left winger instead of his usual left-back position, a change that seemed to suit the Danish youngster.

Speaking to MUTV after the match, the Denmark international admitted that he enjoys playing higher up the field rather than sticking to a traditional defensive role.

“I’ve found it good. It’s nice to play a bit higher up because you’ve got cover from your left-back and a bit more freedom on the pitch. Hopefully, I can play many more games there, improve my game in that position, and become even sharper.”

With Luke Shaw currently lacking a direct understudy, Dorgu may also be asked to provide backup in that position, something he is more than willing to do.

“I feel like I can play in a lot of positions, and I trust myself wherever I play. Wherever the coach thinks I can do the best job, I’ll give everything for the team.”

Matches against Wrexham and Rosenborg serve as early preparation for more high-profile clashes later in pre-season, with Dorgu particularly looking forward to facing European heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, and AC Milan.

“It’s always good to play against big teams, especially teams we could face in the Champions League. It’ll be good to see the level and compete against the best teams in Europe.”

The former Lecce player also reflected on the team’s pre-season training so far, highlighting the focus on regaining both fitness and rhythm while building team chemistry. He noted that the intensity is expected to increase in the coming weeks.

“It’s good to get back to playing again, get the rhythm back, and play with my teammates again. It has been good and also been hard. We’ve been working on getting our sharpness and fitness back.

“Everyone came back happy, and we’re all excited for the season. It’s nice to be back training and competing again.”

Dorgu refrained from discussing specific goals for the season, stressing the importance of focusing on one game at a time.

“The first game is against Hull, so we’ll take it one game at a time. Obviously, we want to compete for trophies and the league as well, but it’s all about the first game. We need to prepare well for that one, and then we’ll go from there.”