In round 20 of the Premier League, Man United had to play away at Liverpool. Despite being far behind their opponents in the rankings, the Red Devils still showed a balanced style of play. In the end, the two teams drew 2-2. This result did not affect Liverpool's position much because they still held the top spot, while Man United ranked 13th.
Before the match, Liverpool's midfield was rated much higher. Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones were expected to easily overwhelm the opponent's midfield. But in reality, Man United played very evenly with 47% ball possession.
According to legend Paul Scholes, the factor that helped M.U improve was midfielder Manuel Ugarte. He was quoted by Metro: "Ugarte proved that he is capable of playing in the Man United midfield. I was surprised by the way he played, it made me think of a better version of him before. I was surprised because I watched him a little bit when he was at PSG."
In the summer of 2024, midfielder Manuel Ugarte joined Man United from PSG. The €60 million contract did not play much under coach Ten Hag, but showed himself when working with Ruben Amorim. To date, he has made 14 appearances in the Premier League.
Paul Scholes on the Uruguayan midfielder's first season: "He's probably done better than I thought. Amorim said Ugarte played very well for Sporting Lisbon and he knows his players well.
“The boy is really getting more confident. I think he has always been in good positions on the pitch, knowing how to defend and attack. Now he is calm enough to hold the ball. It’s like a different person.”
