Erik ten Hag has made Manuel Ugarte lineup decision ahead of Man United vs Liverpool

Erik ten Hag has already made his Manue Ugarte lineup decision ahead of Manchester United’s Premier League clash with Liverpool this coming weekend.

Ugarte, 23, is scheduled to travel to England on Tuesday afternoon to undergo a medical for the Premier League club.

This follows an agreement between United and Paris Saint-Germain on an initial fee of £42 million for the midfielder, with an additional £8 million in potential add-ons.

Upon completion of the transfer, Ugarte is expected to join Erik ten Hag’s midfield, playing alongside the highly talented Kobbie Mainoo.

However, even if he has a full week of training, it is not guaranteed that Ugarte will be able to slot straight into the team for the next game against Liverpool next weekend.

Ten Hag has treated his signings very differently depending on their pre-season before joining the club.

For example, Noussair Mazraoui spent more time in pre-season with Bayern Munich, which is why he was trusted to start the opening two games of the season.

Meanwhile, Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee both missed the majority of pre-season with their clubs due to participation at Euro 2024 with the Netherlands.

They have both been substitutes in the opening games of the season, coming off the bench in the league fixtures.

Considering Ugarte has not played a single minute of football since Urugauy’s Copa America exit and was even excluded from PSG’s training squad, it is highly unlikely that Ten Hag will look to start him against Liverpool on Sunday.

Casemiro and Mainoo will probably continue their partnership, while Ugarte could appear midway through the second half.

He is more likely to start the next game against Southampton once the Premier League returns after the international break. He will get important game-time with his country before continuing to get used to his surroundings at Carrington.

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