Since Ruben Amorim arrived at the club, Manchester United have had a handful of players become instant benefactors, with one £42m player looking like the dominator he was signed to be.
Noussair Mazraoui has thrived as a central defender in the 3-4-3, while Amad Diallo has shone as a right wing-back, assisting four goals already under the 39-year-old.
Meanwhile, Rasmus Hojlund has rediscovered a scoring touch, as has Bruno Fernandes who has been simply phenomenal in terms of his output over the past few weeks – despite the club’s lowly position.
But in defeat on Saturday, it was Manuel Ugarte who was the standout performer – as he was against Arsenal.
Ugarte was described as “perfect” by MUTV’s Phil Bardsley for his display against Nottingham Forest, and now data has showcased that Ugarte is becoming world-class under Amorim’s tutelage.
Manuel Ugarte of Manchester United moves forward with the ball during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Nottingham Forest F...
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Manuel Ugarte is becoming world-class for Ruben Amorim
Ugarte has had a weird first season to date for Manchester United, as initially he was almost ignored by Erik ten Hag who seemed completely unwilling to use the Uruguayan other than in Europe.
However, since an impressive few games under Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ugarte has slowly been improving and has now fully arrived under Amorim.
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This can be seen clearly in the Uruguayan’s statistics from this season so far and importantly his tackles per 90 in the Premier League.
Manuel Ugarte is averaging 4.45 tackles p90 in the Premier League this season, putting him in the top 1% of midfielders in the competition.
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Ugarte is averaging 4.45 tackles per 90 which places him in the top one per cent of midfielders in the league, proving his quality and that he is a world-class defensive midfielder.
The 23-year-old has won 2.5 tackles per 90 on average of the 4.45 he attempts (top nine per cent), while he has averaged winning 7.87 duels per 90 (top seven per cent).
Manchester United could look back on £42m as a bargain
Costing United an initial £42m, rising to a possible £50.5m, Ugarte could be a real bargain when compared with some of the other Premier League defensive midfielders like Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo – costing less than half the price.
Caicedo vs Rice vs Ugarte – 2024/25 stats per 90
Stat per 90 Caicedo Rice Ugarte
Passing accuracy % 89.4% 90.3% 91.5%
Accurate long balls % 56.1% 73.8% 57.1%
Dribble success % 62.5% 46.2% 71.4%
Tackles won 2.03 0.81 2.50
Duels won 6.17 3.99 7.87
Interceptions 1.56 0.81 1.25
Recoveries 5.43 5.29 6.62
As per FotMob
Ugarte costing so little and yet being statistically the best player in the above comparison is impressive considering he is still adapting and playing in a dysfunctional team which is only now learning patterns of play.
Therefore, it becomes pretty clear that Ugarte is not only becoming a league leader for United – but also world-class in his role.
Ugarte may not have been signed as an ideal Ten Hag midfielder, but there is no doubt he is perfect for Amorim.
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