Manchester United appear to have missed out on one of their transfer targets, despite making a £61 million decision on the star earlier in the window.
Manchester United’s transfer business this summer has been very astute, bringing in Premier League-proven players as well as exciting young talent that could make an impact from the outset at Old Trafford.
Diego Leon was the first to join Rúben Amorim’s squad this summer, but many thought he would be a player who would spend his first season in Travis Binnion’s Under-21s side. However, Leon has impressed on the pre-season tour, and he could be included in Amorim’s first-team squad for the Arsenal game this weekend.
Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo look set to be the attacking midfielders from the beginning of the season, although Mason Mount has impressed when given a chance in pre-season, potentially seeing Cunha move to the centre forward position.
Benjamin Šeško could be in line to start up front, but he missed all of United’s pre-season and only joined team training this week, along with Andre Onana and Joshua Zirkzee, when they returned from injury.
Jason Wilcox could still look to add new additions to the squad before the end of the summer, but they are unlikely to sign in time to play against Arsenal this weekend. However, one potential target has ruled out a transfer in recent weeks.
Lopez set to stay at Barcelona amid United links
United are heavily linked to a midfield signing before the end of the transfer window, most notably Carlos Baleba, and they have a long-time interest in Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez.
Previous reports suggested that United were ready to pay £61 million for Lopez this summer, but the Spanish midfielder has since denied links to a move away and now seems set to stay in Catalonia.
“Barcelona fans should rest, because I will stay here,” said Lopez after Barca’s pre-season game against Como. “I will not leave Barca. It was a game about building confidence, ready for the start of La Liga. The important thing is the team did a very good job.”
This leaves just Baleba as a midfield target for United, but a deal for the Brighton player could be more likely next summer due to his high price tag.
Ugarte needs to be given a chance
Manuel Ugarte has had a difficult United career since he joined at the start of last season under Erik ten Hag. Many assumed that he would be the first choice when Amorim joined, given their time together at Sporting CP, but he still struggled to secure game time.
However, he has shown in spells that he could be the midfielder that United are looking for, with an all-action player like Ugarte needed next to Bruno Fernandes or Kobbie Mainoo.
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While his in-possession game isn’t the best, Ugarte has proven that he can be a vital asset to Amorim’s side, but has struggled to showcase this regularly, likely because he isn’t given a long run of games.
This season, Amorim needs to trust Ugarte to play for at least five games in a row, if not more, so we can see him finally showcase his true self regularly.
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