Manchester United’s new signing, Manuel Ugarte, faced criticism early in the 2024-25 season. PSG sold Ugarte to Manchester United for a reported €50 million this summer, with an additional €10 million in potential add-ons and a 10 percent sell-on clause.
Although former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag brought him to Old Trafford, new manager Ruben Amorim is expected to unlock Ugarte’s full potential.
The midfielder thrived under Amorim at Sporting CP from 2021 to 2023. In fact, during the 2022-23 season, Ugarte was in the top one percent for six different metrics among midfielders across Europe.
Manchester United interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy has expressed confidence in the midfielder’s potential and shown support for one of Erik ten Hag’s final signings.
“You should be careful with early conclusions on Manuel Ugarte, he’s a great signing,” van Nistelrooy said. “Manu is very good player. He has very specific qualities in midfield, getting in between players to recover balls to get us in attacking positions.”
Manuel Ugarte on Ruben Amorim’s arrival at Old Trafford
Ugarte spoke about the Portuguese manager and noted what he’ll bring to the Manchester United squad, who have struggled to start this 2024-25 season.
“I saw that the Sporting fans were upset and that’s obvious because Amorim is a great coach,” Ugarte said (h/t Diario AS). “He’s good for United, we have to take advantage and let him get his ideas across as quickly as possible. I think it will be a different dynamic.
“The day-to-day will be similar to that at Sporting. Changing the league, the country, football… It’s a big challenge for him but we all know he has the ability. My teammates ask me a lot about him. What surprised them was his age. He also really wants to win and that’s very important. I say he’ll like it.”
