Manuel Ugarte: Manchester United's New Midfield Diamond

Manuel Ugarte is set to be the next Manchester United player through the door, in a signing that showcases the true persistence of INEOS. The player was their prime midfield target since the beginning of the transfer window, and they never wavered away from their belief that he could sign and eventually that he would sign.

It was clear to anyone watching United last season that the true keys to fixing the gaps in midfield would come from signing a defensive six that can cover large spaces as well as enticing the defensive line to push up the pitch further and become a true proactive side. Manuel Ugarte is a player that fixes at least one of those issues, and the signings of Leny Yoro and Matthijs De Ligt are anticipated to make strides towards fixing the second.

The Ugarte Factor:

A lot of suggestions have arose that Erik ten Hag does not have a style of play at United, but the reality is quite the contrary. The high-energy, high-octane, high-risk, and high-reward style he showcased last season IS his style of play. Whether the fans like that style for better or for worse, it cannot be argued that it is indeed a style, and to comfortably perform that style to a higher level this season, a signing like Manuel Ugarte was vital.

Ugarte is an intensity monster in the middle of the park, and the type of signing Jurgen Klopp would have pushed for in his Liverpool midfield. United are expected to look more like a Klopp side than a Pep Guardiola side when Erik Ten Hag’s system eventually looks the way it’s supposed to, and Ugarte is hoping to be the transformative signing that pushes United back up to that next level. The player has been waiting since July, frustrated during that period at how PSG were dragging out the deal. He is intent on making a true mark at Manchester United, and was always only open to joining the club from Old Trafford throughout the window.

There is a hope he can be involved for Sunday’s game against Liverpool, and it will be of interest to see whether Erik ten Hag deploys him immediately. The Dutch manager is known for easing players into his system, but given the fact the entire system is likely to rest on Ugarte’s ability to cover ground at some stages of the season, especially in the likes of a game against Liverpool, there is a chance we see the Uraguyan pushed into the first team from the start.

Many have suggested he was not good enough for PSG, but the reality is quite different. Luis Enrique wants to employ a tiki-taka style at the Parc De Princes, and Ugarte, as good as he is on the ball, is not as elite in possession as the former Barcelona man would like. His qualities do not fit the style trying to be implemented in Paris, but that certainly doesn’t mean he cannot be a world-class player for another club in Europe. There was a reason the midfielder was sought after when he was at Sporting in a Ruben Amorim system that played to his strengths, and there’s also reason to be optimistic that he can get back to those levels in a Manchester United team that does the same thing.

Liverpool in the past have made some signings that perhaps many felt wouldn’t have worked out. Salah at Chelsea was a huge example that Ian Graham recently disclosed Liverpool went against the status quo in the market to make happen. Just because a player does not succeed at one club doesn’t mean they cannot succeed at another. Manuel Ugarte is a top player, with a lot of really exciting attributes that fit a team that desperately needs them.