Manchester United star admits Dan Ashworth tactic made him feel “anxious” ahead of transfer

Manchester United star Manuel Ugarte admitted that a tactic from Dan Ashworth made him feel “anxious” ahead of his move to Old Trafford.

Manuel Ugarte became Manchester United’s fifth and final summer signing when his £42 million move from Paris St. Germain was confirmed on deadline day last month.

Ugarte joined following the signings of Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, and Noussair Mazraoui through the doors of Old Trafford, with his move taking a long time to be confirmed.

Although United’s interest in the 23-year-old was clear throughout the window, the Manchester outfit were refusing to bend to the £51 million demands from PSG.

The saga even reached the point where United “cooled” their interest and pursued other targets, with no interest in returning to the table unless the Ligue 1 side, who wanted to sell the Uruguayan international, lowered their demands.

Everything changed during the final week of the window after the two sides agreed on an initial £42 million fee with a further £8.4 million in add-ons, showing that sporting director Dan Ashworth’s tactic to play the long game for the deal had worked.

This did, however have an impact on Ugarte himself. The player knew all summer that he would be leaving PSG, and only wanted to sign for United, but in a recent interview, he admitted that Ashworth’s tactic of leaving the deal late made him anxious at times that his move would never materialise.

“It was tough and complicated because I tried not to let it make me too anxious, but it wasn’t easy,” Ugarte said following Uruguay’s 0-0 draw against Paraguay, via Sport.fr.

“Pre-season felt strange since I wasn’t used to being in that situation or playing so little.

“Now that everything’s sorted out, I’m really happy and felt great on the pitch today. The wait was long, and I did feel anxious at times, but this kind of thing happens to every player.”

Ugarte is expected to make his debut for United once the players return from international duty. The club’s first fixture back is a 12:30 BST kick-off against Southampton, although Ugarte will likely not start.

His delayed pre-season means he is not quite as fit as his new teammates, but two weeks away with Uruguay will certainly aid this.

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