United players line up
United players line up
Manchester United desperately needed to sign a midfield enforcer last summer and their quest eventually ended when Manuel Ugarte arrived at Old Trafford.
The Uruguay international signed a five-year deal after United agreed to pay Paris Saint-Germain €50million (£42.3m), with a further €10m (£8.5m) in add-ons.
However, if Erik ten Hag had his way, Ugarte wouldn't have been the midfielder he was pictured shaking hands with on August 30.
Ten Hag from Burnley. had an option to buy Amrabat for an initial €25m, having paid Fiorentina €10m to loan the Moroccan.
Ugarte started just one of the six Premier League games he was eligible to play in before Ten Hag was sacked following the defeat to West Ham on October 27. Ruben Amorim's arrival saw Ugarte play a much more prominent role, but he struggled during his first season in England and was an unused substitute for the Europa League final.
Casemiro's European football renaissance made him an automatic pick for the Europa League final, with Bruno Fernandes chosen to play alongside the Brazilian. Fernandes is expected to play in midfield next season, but United's failure to qualify for Europe next season means Casemiro is unlikely to see much game time given his inability to keep up with the pace of Premier League games.
That means Ugarte is going to have a vital role to play next season. Fernandes is always going to want to venture forward from midfield and so Ugarte needs to be disciplined and protect the back three.
Amorim and Ugarte already know each other well from their time together at Sporting and United will hope Amorim can get the best out of the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder.
New signings who have never played in England before should always be given a season to adapt and settle into their new surroundings. But Amorim and United need Ugarte to step up next season and prove Ten Hag was wrong to favour Amrabat or Berge.
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