Fresh Ugarte rumours have come to the surface as the Uruguayan continues to be left out of the starting eleven in favour of stellar midfield duo.
Manuel Ugarte has had a difficult start to his career at Manchester United, signing under Erik ten Hag in the summer of 2024 at a time when the Reds were struggling to record results.
Ugarte has been on the fringe of the starting eleven for some time now and has struggled to replace his more experienced counterpart, Casemiro, who has been impressive for the most part this season.
Ruben Amorim and the midfielder linked up again when the Portuguese manager arrived at the club at the start of 2025, after previously managing Ugarte at Sporting Lisbon before his move to PSG.
However, reports from earlier this week confirmed that, towards the back end of last season, Amorim told Ugarte in front of the rest of the squad that he did not recognise him as the same player from Sporting.
Amorim backs Ugarte’s system fit
With Ugarte failing to impress in the first 14 months of his time at Old Trafford, many have assumed that he may be shipped out of the club in the summer.
However, transfer journalist Ben Jacobs spoke with The United Stand on the Ugarte situation, commenting on how Amorim values the 25-year-old as part of the squad.
“Ruben Amorim continues to think the midfielder is a strong fit for his system,” Jacobs explained. Ugarte’s tenacity is a key part of his game, and this is a key reason why the midfielder is part of Amorim’s plans.
Numerous times this season, Ugarte has been subbed on for the older Casemiro, who struggles to see out 90 minutes at 33, and adds some energy into the midfield.
Ugarte would have felt the pressure from reports suggesting that United is in the market for a new defensive midfielder who could replace him.
Links to Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton, who are very similar players to Ugarte, would have uneased the Uruguayan and may have hampered his performances.
Gametime and performance levels are a factor
Coming off the back of an approximate £40 million transfer fee, Ugarte arrived with vast anticipation and has slightly underperformed expectations so far.
Jacobs summarises this by saying, “It’s just that fact that he’s not performing too well at the moment and also one game a week is a factor.”
Since failing to qualify for European football last season, and the Reds were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby in September, Amorim’s side have had only the league games to worry about.
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However, Jacobs believes the relationship between Ugarte and Amorim remains on good terms, and does not foresee the midfielder leaving the club in the foreseeable future.
With the return of the FA Cup in January, Ugarte will likely get some minutes to prove himself. In the meantime, he will have to step up performances in training and in the limited minutes on the pitch to break back into the starting eleven.
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