Manchester United is trying to recruit Manuel Ugarte from Paris St Germain, in the context of the 2024 summer transfer period being especially exciting for the "Red Devils". If successful, the Uruguayan midfielder will become their third rookie this summer, after the deals of Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro .
According to Daily Mail, PSG wants 59 million pounds for Ugarte and will definitely not sell for a lower price. Currently, there are at least four "big men" in Serie A, Bundesliga and Premier League interested in this midfielder.
Ugarte can work alongside Kobbie Mainoo in Man United's midfield as Erik ten Hag will certainly create conditions for the 23-year-old to start. So, what role will Ugarte play in Ten Hag's tactical system if he moves to Old Trafford?
Who is Manuel Ugarte?
Ugarte plays as a defensive midfielder for PSG after joining the club last summer for £42 million. The Uruguayan player began playing professionally at the age of 15 for Fenix in his hometown.
Initially, Ugarte was a striker, scoring his first goal in 2019. After that, the player made 14 more appearances in the Uruguay national championship as a midfielder.
Ugarte signed a 5-year contract with Portugal's Famalicao and debuted in January 2021. After that, he moved to Sporting Lisbon and gradually asserted his talent.
Ugarte also has 22 caps for the Uruguay national team.
Strengths and weaknesses
One of Ugarte's strongest points is his ability to steal the ball. His best season at Sporting saw the player make 57 steals, with an average of 4.64 per 90 minutes.
At PSG, Ugarte's performance declined somewhat, but the player still had 40 interceptions and averaged 4.56 tackles per 90 minutes.
Ugarte also has an average of more than 8 ball recoveries per 90 minutes, the highest in the Portuguese national championship when he was with Sporting. The midfielder tends to make extremely good first passes after successfully stealing the ball. Therefore, the 23-year-old player can launch dangerous attacks towards the opponent's goal.
On the contrary, discipline is the most worrying aspect of the Uruguayan midfielder's play. During the 2022-2023 season in the Portuguese national championship, Ugarte received 11 yellow cards and committed 62 fouls. However, Ugarte was somewhat able to restrain himself when he only received 5 yellow cards at PSG last season.
Is Manuel Ugarte suitable for Man United?
Back when this young star was still playing for Sporting, Ugarte often played as a central midfielder in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Then at PSG, he was sometimes switched to defensive midfielder in a 4-1-5 system.
Ten Hag is known for his preferred formation of 4-2-3-1, which means Ugarte will play alongside Mainoo. With the above statistics, this could be the perfect combination. Of course, the important thing is that Man United needs to complete this deal soon.
