Manuel Ugarte has revealed three important things he has learned since arriving at Manchester United and they could help him improve his game.
Manchester United made five signings last summer and Manuel Ugarte was the final addition, joining from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of August 2024.
The deal, worth an initial £42 million, was one which caused controversy amongst the United fanbase as not everyone believed it to be a worthwhile transfer.
After a slow start to life at Old Trafford, Ugarte had some really promising games after Ruben Amorim’s appointment. He worked under the Portuguese coach at Sporting.
But the season ended poorly for Ugarte, who was replaced by Casemiro in the midfield and dropped for the Europa League final.
Ugarte reveals three ‘important’ things he’s learned at United
Ugarte had an excellent game in pre-season on the weekend against West Ham and will be hoping to showcase major improvements in this coming season.
He has explained the reporters that he is eager to do exactly that and also detailed different reasons why he feels like he can improve.
The midfielder explained that some connections take time, which he is now getting, and that he already knows the Premier League and the teams amongst it now, which will help him going forward.
“We have to improve things,” Ugarte told ESPN. “We have matches to prepare for. We are all very motivated, because we believe in the coach, we believe in what he wants and that is very important.
“Last year we made some changes, we changed our coach, we changed our formation. This year I am good, I am very excited. It is important to perform well in this club, with United.
“You have to have responsibilities when you play for United. I am very happy and we have to keep going.
“Sometimes the connections take time to get to know each other. I already know the league, the rivals, which is important.”
One of Ugarte’s problems
One of the problems that exists for Ugarte is that he seems much more comfortable when afforded the opportunity to push forward in and out of possession.
He has the ability to win the ball back high up the pitch and has also shown some impressive moments on the ball in those areas – his run and assist for Amad’s offside goal against West Ham being one of those.
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But his skillset is not perfect for the deepest role in a midfield. He doesn’t like the protect that space in front of the backline but would rather have someone else do that while he can roam and do the dirty work.
It’s comparable to Fred, who departed the club in 2023. The Brazilian was similar in energy to Ugarte but also lacked the defensive capabilities to shine at the base of a midfield.
Perhaps Ugarte can improve in those aspects, as he is still only 24 years old, and it will be interesting to see if these things that he has learned can help him further this season.
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