Manuel Ugarte’s move to Manchester United is near completion before Friday’s summer transfer deadline. As a result, details about why this transfer is occurring are beginning to emerge.
Ugarte didn’t quite fit into manager Luis Enrique’s plans for the midfield, so he’s leaving after just one season. Last season, he featured in 37 matches across all competitions for the reigning Ligue 1 champions and notched three assists.
The 23-year-old started the first half of the campaign strong, and it looked like the club had found their midfield enforcer. However, his playing time dropped off in the second half, with Ugarte being used more as a rotational player than a regular starter.
Journalist Duncan Castles reports that if it weren’t for this reason, the Uruguayan wouldn’t be on the move. According to Castles, during discussions with Manchester United, PSG’s negotiating team explained that they didn’t want to lose Ugarte.
However, they were willing to sell because Enrique wasn’t using the player as much as they had hoped, and Ugarte was eager for a move, per Castles. The report concludes by stating that PSG anticipate that Ugarte will become one of Manchester United’s top players in the future.
🚨🇺🇾 PSG negotiating team told United during discussions that they did not want to lose Ugarte and they were only selling because Luis Enrique wasn’t using the player to the extent that they would have liked and the player was pushing for a move.
PSG expected him to be one of… pic.twitter.com/UioSTzTuXd
— UtdTruthful (@Utdtruthful) August 29, 2024
In his latest column for CaughtOffside, Jonathan Johnson of CBS Sports also broke down the type of player Ugarte is.
“Much of Ugarte’s best form has come with the Uruguay national team, but we’ve seen fleeting moments of it in a PSG shirt as well, and I think if you require someone who’s a bit of a destroyer, a proper traditional defensive midfielder with the athletic capacity to really get around, then he’s a great option. I think with time he could be a good fit for United as a long-term heir to someone like Casemiro.”
