On August 23, former English Premier League champions Manchester United announced the signing of Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain for €50 million. That was the kind of climax that most Man United fans would have hoped for after many weeks of talks upon talks.
The Uruguayan midfielder lives by the motto, “Football is a game when we have the ball, and we fight when we don’t.” Many Manchester United fans hope he delivers on that statement when he eventually gets on the pitch.
Known for his stealth and doggedness, Manchester United and their fans hope that Ugarte plays to the best of his ability. The 23-year-old midfielder has enjoyed a steady rise over the years. He joined Portuguese side Famalicao from Uruguayan giant CA Fenix in 2021.
Once again, Manchester United tickets will remain among the most demanded in English football, with many looking to see if Ugarte would excel at Old Trafford.
However, Ugarte spent seven months at Famalicao before Portuguese giants Sporting CP swooped in for him. Then, PSG acquired his services in July 2023. Unfortunately for Ugarte, coach Enrique did not fancy him much, albeit he registered 37 appearances across all competitions last season. Hence, with the presence of Vitinha and the arrival of Joao Neves, Les Parisiens opened the exit door, and the player was equally happy to leave the club and find greener pastures elsewhere.
Why did Manchester United buy Ugarte?
From last season, it was clear that Casemiro could not keep up with the levels demanded of him at Manchester United. The 32-year-old defensive midfielder joined the club in a €70.5 million move from Real Madrid.
When he arrived at Old Trafford, the Brazilian gave the Red Devils a breath of fresh air in the midfield and was almost unstoppable in the course of doing his job. However, Casemiro’s form has steadily dropped since last season. The former Real Madrid man played the least number of games when compared to the previous six campaigns. He also struggled against teams that had fluid forwards and midfielders.
Those problems were also laid bare on in their Premier League clash against Liverpool at Old Trafford. Casemiro made two blunders that led to Manchester United conceding two of the three goals that they shipped in.
On different occasions, the former Real Madrid man was caught out of position, and he failed to connect with Kobbie Mainoo properly. It was not a surprise that he was taken off at halftime and replaced by academy product Toby Collyer. It was just simply evident that the 32-year-old was physically way past the demands and duties asked of him by United.
With Ugarte now on the team, coach Erik Ten Hag will be hoping that Casemiro’s inadequacies will be a thing of the past because he is younger, faster, and better.
How does Manuel Ugarte operate?
Ugarte can operate as a defensive midfielder or central midfielder. He is a good tackler of the ball; he could be quite rash at times, but he is great at running down opposition players and making it difficult for them in one-on-one situations.
Now, this is not just paper talk. His former coach at Uruguayan club Fenix, Juan Ramon Carrasco, stated that “Ugarte has seven lungs because he never stops.”
Even PSG defender Lucas Hernandez compared Ugarte to N’Golo Kante. Of course, this is no cheap talk because Lucas has played with Kante on numerous occasions in the French national team.
Aside from his defensive prowess, Ugarte is a box-to-box player, as he loves to join the attack and press high when his team is without possession. This is accentuated by Ugarte’s ranking as the second in Ligue 1 for possessions won in the final third last season.
The Uruguay international also had 98 tackles last season, the highest by any player playing in the French top-flight season. In fact, in the past three seasons, only João Palhinha has registered more tackles per 90 minutes in Europe’s top five leagues.
What will Ugarte bring to Manchester United?
Firstly, Manchester United needed a player who could put in the kilometers, and Ugarte could do that to the letter. Casemiro appears worn out or will not be able to put in the same level of consistency through all the games, but Ugarte will now take that role away from him.
Ugarte is also good at playing with a player beside him in midfield, opening the door for a strong partnership with Mainoo. Now, unlike Casemiro, the Uruguayan can run and carry the ball across midfield seamlessly. This will prove to be a gem for Ten Hag, as Casemiro does not exactly give him that sort of mobility in the middle of the park.
With his high level of mobility, Ugarte will be able to do his defensive job, giving Mainoo the freedom to express himself and Bruno Fernandes the license to play his attacking midfielder role seamlessly.
Comparatively, Ugarte ranks higher than Casemiro in terms of tackles, interceptions, ball recoveries, dribbles completed, and even passing accuracy.
How will Ten Hag use Ugarte?
If Ten Hag’s statements are anything to go by, it might take a while before Manchester United’s new wonderkid will make his full debut. In the pre-match conference for the Liverpool game, Ten Hag asserted that it may take a while before Ugarte gets into the first team because he did not play with them in pre-season.
When he eventually starts playing, Ugarte will likely replace Casemiro in the starting eleven. Moreover, there are already strong talks linking the Brazilian with a move to Turkish champions Galatasaray.
Also, in games where Ten Hag would need some solidity, he could pair Casemiro with Ugarte, while Fernandes would just sit in front of them.
But one thing is clear, Ugarte would bring in a breath of fresh air to Manchester United’s midfield. However, he would not solve all of the club’s problems.
