It is increasingly likely that Manuel Ugarte will leave Manchester United this summer as the Uruguayan international is reportedly frustrated over his lack of playing time.
In 2024, Manchester United completed the signing of Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain for a fee of £42 million plus bonuses.
It was assumed that Ugarte would partner Kobbie Mainoo in the heart of midfield, but Erik ten Hag had other plans. Various reports have claimed that the Dutchman was never really keen on signing Ugarte and would have instead preferred to make Sofyan Amrabat’s loan deal permanent, but he was overruled by Jason Wilcox and the rest of the United hierarchy.
Ugarte therefore had little playing time under Ten Hag, and would have been optimistic about his chances of becoming a regular starter when Ruben Amorim took over given the pair had worked together at Sporting CP.
Even under his former manager, Ugarte failed to impress with reports claiming that Amorim had said he no longer recognised Ugarte as the same player he worked with in Lisbon and criticised his work rate.
Ugarte unhappy at United
Ugarte has started just seven games in the Premier League this season and has had his playing time even further reduced since Michael Carrick took over in January following Amorim’s sacking.
According to Centre Devils, Ugarte is unhappy at United with his current game time and feels undervalued at the club amid Carrick’s decision to start teammates over him. It’s becoming increasingly likely that the 24-year-old will leave in the summer if the right offer comes in.
Ugarte wanted to leave in the January window, but United blocked any move for him due to a shortage of options in midfield.
Galatasaray had a strong interest in Ugarte as well as another Turkish club, a French club, and an Italian club, the report adds.
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United must sell Ugarte
Ugarte’s failure to convince three managers now at United that he is good enough, on top of the fact Paris Saint-Germain sold him after just one season, proves that he is simply not good enough to play at the very top level.
He is aggressive in the press, but apart from that, it is hard to think of any outstanding attributes he possesses. He is extremely weak on the ball and is often targeted by opposition teams because of this.
With United likely to sign two midfielders this summer, the funds received from Ugarte’s departure might allow United to even go for a third midfielder.
With Casemiro set to leave and United all but certain to return to European football, squad depth will be crucial and adding three midfielders of real quality would significantly boost United’s chances of having a successful 2026/27 season.
United have a long-standing interest in Carlos Baleba and have reportedly maintained contact with his representatives despite having endured a poor season so far. Sandro Tonali is another player high on United’s shortlist, whilst his Newcastle teammate Bruno Guimaraes is also said to be attracting interest from Old Trafford.
Elliot Anderson has long been regarded as United’s no.1 midfield target, but Manchester City seem to be well ahead in the race to sign the Nottingham Forest midfielder. Joao Gomes is another player who has been linked and could be available for a cut-price deal with Wolves all but certain to go down.
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