Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes new head coach Michael Carrick's biggest challenge is getting the best out of Manuel Ugarte at Old Trafford. He said the midfielder has been a disappointment since moving to the club and needs a confidence boost.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand claimed that he heard glowing reviews of the Ugarte before the midfielder joined Manchester United. He is yet to see a shadow of the player that was described to him, adding that the main attributes of tacking and being aggressive were missing from his game.
"I’ve got to be honest, I have been disappointed with Ugarte. He is one player when he came in everybody said he’s got legs, he can tackle, he can move. The description I was getting was he was the right type of player we needed. It just hasn’t materialised, it hasn’t come to the fore. I haven’t seen the player that everybody was talking about before in terms of being able to get up against people quickly and tackle. That’s meant to be a big part of his game, being aggressive."
"‘He hasn’t put a marker down in a game that’s made me think 'this guy could be one of our midfield dogs or controllers who is really going to get things going in the midfield'. He hasn’t got anywhere near that. Can Michael Carrick get any more out of him? That is going to be a big challenge for Michael Carrick: Can he get any more out of these players as individuals to make the team better? He’s got to get both of those bits better, the team better and the individual players playing to a high level and get so much more out of them."
Manchester United paid £51 million to sign Ugarte from PSG, and the 24-year-old has failed to live up to expectations. He has played 62 matches for the Red Devils, scoring twice and assisting six times.
Manchester United appoint Michael Carrick as head coach
Manchester United have confirmed the appointment of Michael Carrick as the new head coach. They have not labeled the Englishman as an interim or caretaker at the club, but have only offered him a deal until the end of the season.
The Red Devils are still looking for a permanent manager, but are willing to take their time before making the final decision. Ruben Amorim was sacked earlier this month, just 14 months after he replaced Erik ten Hag.
Manchester United have been linked with Enzo Maresca, Mauricio Pochettino, Oliver Glasner and Xavi.