There is a belief at Manchester United that one player will be able to become an important player for Ruben Amorim despite some difficulties last season.
When it was decided that Ruben Amorim would become Manchester United head coach, it was expected that many players would take time to adapt into his new system.
However, with Manuel Ugarte having already played under the Portuguese boss at Sporting, the idea amongst many was that he’d fit in perfectly and become a key figure.
Ugarte did play 34 times under Amorim last term but completed 90 minutes in just 10 of those games. We often saw him come off when United were pushing to score, with Bruno Fernandes moving deeper.
Amorim even decided to drop the Uruguayan for the Europa League final in Bilbao, and it feels like Ugarte isn’t guaranteed to be a success under the 40-year-old boss.
Ugarte expected to turn things around at United
There are rumours that United are looking for a new midfielder to partner Fernandes in the middle of the park and that might put Ugarte’s future into question.
Despite only joining the club from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, Omar Berrada has already stated that United won’t keep hold of underperforming players as long as they have done in the past, making some people suggest that an offer for the 24-year-old might be accepted.
However, the latest reports from Ben Jacobs has revealed that there are still high hopes for the 2024 summer signing at Old Trafford heading into next season.
The reporter has told The United Stand that there is ‘big faith’ from figures at United that Ugarte can move past the struggles he’s experienced and turn into a top player in Amorim’s midfield.
No chance of Ugarte sale
Those comments from Jacobs makes it extremely unlikely that Ugarte will be sold and he is gearing up for a much-improved season at Old Trafford.
Despite being very impressive in terms of energy, Ugarte has offered similar concerns to those who came before him in United’s midfield – allowing the pitch to become too open when he’s caught high up the pitch.
If he wants to succeed at Old Trafford, a balance needs to be found with his gung-ho approach to winning the ball back and protecting the space in the midfield.
Ironically, it feels like Ugarte’s best position would be slightly further forward with a more defensive midfielder alongside him. That feels like the case for every ‘deeper’ midfielder the club have had since Nemanja Matic.
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