Manuel Ugarte will never forget his first day at Old Trafford. It all started with Manchester United's £50 million signing getting almost wet from a spray bottle on the pitch when he was introduced to the crowd. After the match, coach Erik ten Hag warned that it would take time to promote Ugarte's ability.
In between those two highlights, Ugarte witnessed the "Red Devils" lose 0-3 to Liverpool. Notably, Casemiro - who was expected to lose his position when the Uruguayan midfielder arrived - had a terrible first 45 minutes.
Having just completed the transfer of Ugarte from Paris St Germain on Friday evening (local time), Man United missed the deadline at midday to debut this midfielder against Liverpool. Therefore, the 23-year-old player has to wait until the match against Southampton on September 14, with conditions to recover after the FIFA Days in September.
But even before he played for Man United, Ugarte was under huge pressure to become the solution to a difficult problem: the team was unable to control the midfield.
In fact, this was a problem before Ten Hag arrived at Old Trafford. And it has gotten worse after Ten Hag's two full seasons due to his incorrect tactical approach. Man United have been neglecting the defensive midfield area for a long time, before Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
The current hope is on Ugarte, a contract United have lacked for more than a decade. The problem is that the Uruguayan international is unlikely to be able to shoulder this heavy responsibility.
Ugarte will certainly bring youthful energy, fitness, endurance, fighting ability and defensive awareness to Man United. These are factors that neither Casemiro nor Kobbie Mainoo are capable of implementing.
When he beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final last season, Ten Hag deployed Sofyan Amrabat and Mainoo in midfield, with Scott McTominay adding a lot of energy. Amrabat and McTominay are both no longer at Man United, which is why Casemiro was chosen to play against Liverpool.
Casemiro was once one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, helping Real Madrid win 5 Champions League titles when playing alongside Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. However, Man United's decision to sign the Brazilian for £70 million two years ago seems increasingly innocent.
However, Casemiro is just the latest in a series of transfer errors in the "Red Devils" midfield. The last time Man United signed a world-class defensive midfielder at the peak of his career was the case of Owen Hargreaves, 26, from Bayern Munich in 2007.
The English midfielder helped Man United win Champions League glory a year later, but injuries soon ended Hargreaves' career at Old Trafford. And since then, they have struggled from one mistake to another in the defensive midfield position.
Bastian Schweinsteiger (31), Nemanja Matic (29) and Casemiro (30 years old) are all past their peak when they were signed by Man United. Meanwhile, Fred, Morgan Schneiderlin and Ander Herrera have never had the qualities to play for a big club like Man United.
Man United even struggled to sign Marouane Fellaini, Paul Pogba and Donny van de Beek to play as defensive midfielders. And not everyone is capable of this role.
Signing Ugarte is certainly a step in the right direction for Man United. However, never before has a defensive midfielder come to a new club with such wild expectations.
