Zirkzee ✅
Yoro ✅
De Ligt ⌛
United’s transfer window is gathering pace, and the last part of United’s potential new core is a position that has given us headaches for years: defensive midfield. The man we have lined up for this position is Uruguayan destroyer Manuel Ugarte.
Ugarte feels like a really important target because, unlike with the other players mentioned above, there appears to be no strong alternative target for this position. Looking at the current personnel in the squad, it’s obvious that it’s a position we need to fill, and probably have done for years.
Our main number 6 at the moment is the 32-year-old Casemiro. A key player in his first season at United, his form fell off a cliff last year, and he was a liability in some games. With talks of a potential bid from Saudi incoming, there’s no guarantee he will be here next season.
In terms of senior players, that’s it really. Scott McTominay and Cristian Eriksen can do a job there but they are not natural 6s and they are not the answer moving forward.
With all that in mind, it’s easy to see how Ugarte is such a key signing for us.
Manuel Ugarte
Position: Defensive midfield
Current club: PSG
Nationality: Uruguayan
Age: 23
Height: 6’0″
Transfer Fee: Up to £60m
Club appearances 23/24: 37
Club goals/clean sheets 23/24: 0/13
Profile
Ugarte’s first breakthrough came at the age of 19 when he made his debut in the Portuguese Primeira Liga for Famalicao. He eventually earned himself a starting place and almost helped the relatively small club to Europa League qualification, but narrowly missed out.
His performances hadn’t gone unnoticed though, and Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon signed him in 2021. He started to out-perform the talented Palinha at CDM, registering the most combined tackles and interceptions in the 22/23 Champions league group stages. At the end of that season, PSG came in with a huge €60 million bid to take the Uruguayan over to France.
Ugarte made a really strong to start to life at PSG; being nominated for the August ‘player of the month” award and making the most ball recoveries in the first four Ligue 1 matches since 06/07. However, after September his form dipped and it was widely reported that he wasn’t the right man for manager Luis Enrique’s system.
Going into the winter and beyond, Ugarte started to make more substitute appearances; contributing to PSG’s Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions treble.
Ugarte helped PSG win a 23/24 treble
At United
United are on the verge of having a world-class midfield, with Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo providing the creativity.
However, a big issue United had last season was the huge drop in form of Casemiro, which lead to us getting hurt on the transition far too many times and struggling to beat a high press.
Manuel Ugarte could be the perfect counter-balance to our creative midfielders. He is a traditional, combative, ball-winning number 6, who has exceptional defensive positioning, tackling and pass completion.
The stats show he is practically unmatched for tackling and interceptions:
After winning back possession, Ugarte tends to start attacks quickly with short- or medium-range passes, which are usually successful, with him sitting in the 91st percentile for pass completion % amongst his peers, and the 99th for medium pass completion. He plays long less often, and this will also be dictated by the system he finds himself in, but his long pass completion is also elite; he sits in the 97th percentile.
Where we can probably not expect much contribution from Ugarte is goals, assists, shot-creating actions etc. He is adept at carrying the ball, beating a man and final-third passing, but is rarely involved in creating opportunities.
In fact, he ranks way below average for most important attacking stats amongst his midfield peers:
The Verdict
Ugarte is a real specialist, who fell foul of the system that PSG employed during the latter part of last season.
You can rely on him to break up play, start attacks quickly, and be consistently available to receive the ball from the back 5.
Aside from the first half of last season when Casemiro did pretty well, this is what United have ben crying out for since Michael Carrick. While Ugarte is a different profile of player, he has the potential to lift the team in the same way.
Ugarte has obvious shortcomings, but these don’t really matter when you have creators like Bruno, Kobbie, and maybe even the likes of Mason Mount around you in midfield.
The number 6 position is a ‘must-fill’ for United in this transfer window, and Ugarte seems to be the only player with strong links currently. The player wants the move and personal terms are agreed; it’s now just down to the financials.
United have other transfers to work on and obviously need to sell players, but the hierarchy at old Trafford should be making Manuel Ugarte their number 1 priority.