Manchester United legend lauds Erik ten Hag signing, he’s got a “very important job”

New Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte has been lauded by Nicky Butt following his arrival from PSG.

Ugarte, 23, joined United from the French side in a £42 million move, arriving as Erik ten Hag’s final signing of the summer.

Signing a contract until June of 2029, Ugarte arrived as a much-needed midfield reinforcement following the departure of Scott McTominay.

Nicky Butt, who played 387 times for United in Ugarte’s central midfield position, was full of praise for United’s decision to bring Ugarte to the club.

Butt, who spoke with members of the club’s media team following last weekend’s Manchester United Legends vs Celtic Legends game, was full of praise for the Red Devils’ new man.

“I’ve seen a bit of him last year and I think he’s what we need,” Butt stated. “He’s got legs and he’s aggressive.

“Hopefully, he’ll shore up that midfield. The one thing it is lacking, and it has got a lot of talent in there going forward, is we can be a little open when teams are on the counter-attack against us. So, hopefully, he’ll make the difference.”

When asked if he expected Ugarte to become the anchor of Manchester United’s midfield, Butt added the following:

“I’m pretty sure that is the thought process behind why they brought him in.

“They want someone to do the dirty work and put in the work that people don’t tend to like to do. But it’s a very important job in front of the back four.”

Ugarte, who has not played a minute of club football in nearly four months starred on Saturday, playing 79 minutes as Uruguay drew 0-0 with Paraguay.

In that game, Ugarte won twelve out of sixteen duels and made five tackles for his national side.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Thursday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.