Why Marcus Rashford could be perfect fit for Aston Villa and how £25m Dorgu is exactly the player Amorim’s Man Utd need

IT was a hectic winter transfer deadline day for the Premier League and Europe as clubs scrambled to get deals done before the 11pm deadline on Monday. The saga of the window saw Mathys Tel going to Tottenham from Bayern Munich on loan following a call from Ange Postecoglou after originally rejecting Daniel Levy. Other deals saw Manchester City take their January spending to more than £175million as they confirmed the arrival of Nico Gonzalez from Porto, while Evan Ferguson became the latest striker down at West Ham.

There were also blockbuster deals completed before deadline day, including Manchester United's acquisition of Patrick Dorgu and Aston Villa's quadruple haul of stars including Marcus Rashford. But you may be wondering how these deals might change the tactical makeup of these respective clubs. Well fear not, because SunSport's tactical guru Dean Scoggins is here to break down the nitty-gritty of the deals so you don't have to.

Former England star Rashford was announced by Villa on the penultimate day of the transfer window. Unai Emery rates the 27-year-old highly, so much so that he has sanctioned Villa paying 75 per cent of his wages while also getting a £40m option to buy in the deal. This deal is intriguing to say the least, as Villa are one of the few teams he can fit into tactically. Some of the clubs he was linked to play short football round the edge of the area, but that is a style which would not fit Rashford.

JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS. But Aston Villa's counter-attacking system should be a nice fit for both parties. Rashford has just shy of 200 goal contributions from his time at Man Utd, and it is a calculated risk from Villa to take on a fallen star who could reignite his stuttering career. So with the extra additions of Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi on deadline day, how could this all play into Villa's system?.

The Midlands side are relatively normal in their set-up, which is a 4-2-3-1 that transitions into a box midfield in the opposition half. But what's important for Rashford is how they seek to be lightning fast on the counter-attack after goading teams into pressuring them. The likes of the injured Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa play the ball around at the back while supported by so-called press resistant players in midfield such as Youri Tielemans.

When the opposition press has pushed high, the defenders will then play fast and direct passes straight down the middle, which has worked to blistering effect against clubs such as Man City and Arsenal. Rashford's role involves one of the wingers moving inside to a No. 10 position on one side to receive the ball before playing another straight pass to a team-mate. His out to in runs have proven themselves effective at United over the years, and if they can be translated to Villa then they should work a treat with their direct style.

Thomas Tuchel may even take some notes for his England squad, with the possible axis of Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers and Rashford all working in tandem with their club side and on the international stage. This is not to mention new signings Donyell Malen, Asensio, and Jacob Ramsey, who all fit the profile Emery likes for his system. Off the ball, Villa will counter-press but are more than happy to retreat back towards their goal.

Watkins' hard work is key to this defence from the start, but some of the criticism levelled at Rashford by Ruben Amorim at Man Utd was due to a perceived lack of effort. That seems anathema to an Emery system, but Rashford seems to have convinced Villa and Emery that he will be willing to put in the hard yards to ensure their gamble pays off. Dorgu was a £25m plus £4m in add-ons signing from Ligue 1 side Lecce, identified to come in and fit the Amorim profile for a dynamic left wing-back.

While at the age of 20 Dorgu has plenty of time to grow, he is tactically a perfect fit for Amorim's 3-4-3. What the system has been missing is a ball-carrying attacker, with only Amad Diallo really able to fit that idea. Amorim's system is built around players being able to carry the ball forwards and driving into space rather than relying on passing patterns. Dorgu's key stats, including goals, progressive carries, distance travelled and the speed he does it at, he appears to be a tailor-made for Amorim's system, a bit like Geovany Quenda currently at Sporting.

At six foot two inches tall, Dorgu is almost a copy of a 17-year-old on the left-hand side. Dorgu has also showed his proficiency by scoring goals on the right side, meaning he is also a flexible asset for Amorim. Despite some possible defensive misgivings at Lecce, Dorgu should go straight into the Man Utd starting XI ahead of Diogo Dalot. Harry Kane gave a glowing review of Tel after his switch to Tottenham was announced, and he is certainly one of the most exciting talents in world football at the moment.