Rúben Amorim’s true feelings on Manuel Ugarte have been revealed after a comment suggested that the manager had publicly berated the midfielder.
Manuel Ugarte has struggled for consistency since his move from Paris Saint-Germain in 2024. He joined under Erik ten Hag, but barely featured for the Dutchman before he was replaced by Rúben Amorim in November.
Amorim managed the Manchester United midfielder at Sporting CP, but has also chosen to use Casemiro over Ugarte during his time at the club, with the Uruguayan seeming to struggle to live up to his price tag at Old Trafford.
Alongside Kobbie Mainoo, Ugarte looked like a new player in pre-season; however, that form hasn’t continued into the Premier League or Carabao Cup at the start of this campaign.
A report yesterday suggested that Amorim had told Ugarte: “You’re not the same player than what you were at Sporting,” in the same meeting where he told Alejandro Garnacho to find a new club after the Europa League final.
The statement has since been confirmed to be “inaccurate”, but Ugarte continues to be left out of the side and is unlikely to play a role against Liverpool, despite Casemiro’s struggles this season.
Romano provides Amorim Ugarte update
Ugarte will be hoping to turn his United career around before the end of the season, with Casemiro looking likely to leave the club to become the long-term defensive midfielder at Old Trafford.
Given the ongoing speculation, Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on the situation regarding Amorim and Ugarte for Give Me Sport.
He said: “Of course performances haven’t been always excellent, but coach and club maintain their trust in Ugarte. They hope for improvement soon.”
If United hadn’t crashed out of the Carabao Cup against Grimsby Town, Ugarte would have found himself with more opportunities to impress Amorim and dislodge Casemiro, but the poor performance has hampered many of United’s non-starters.
Ugarte’s biggest issue seems to be his confidence on the pitch. He makes silly errors that weren’t seen at PSG or Sporting CP. A spell out of the side may help him regain his self-belief before making a challenge for Casemiro’s spot.
Ugarte could be sold this summer
Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe purchased a stake in United, there has been a “two-year rule” established in the transfer department. This means anyone who hasn’t proven their worth within two years – excluding young players – will be moved on away from the club.
Rasmus Hojlund’s move to Napoli and Andre Onana’s move to Trabzonspor were the first examples of the new cut-throat nature at Old Trafford, and Ugarte could suffer the same fate.
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Ugarte has failed to live up to expectations since his move from PSG and needs a strong season at Old Trafford if he wants to remain in Manchester, especially if Amorim doesn’t last the full year.
He must begin to show some signs that he can become the player United fans thought he could be, or the writing may already be on the wall for the 24-year-old.
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