Manchester United’s search for a new midfielder goes on and now it’s taken them to Paris as a Uruguayan looks a great addition.
This summer one of four priority positions at Old Trafford is central midfield with a defensive option lacking right now and it has been a position which caused Erik ten Hag tonnes of problems last season.
Time after time, Manchester United were caught out with huge gaps between midfield and attack. Therefore this summer a specialist number six is desired by much of the fanbase and judging by links also the club.
The latest player to be linked with United to solve the midfield problem is PSG’s Manuel Ugarte. His name was only linked on Tuesday but soon after reports from France claimed a bid had been made and rejected already.
Amid the interest, here’s what one United icon has said about him in the past.
What Diego Forlan has said about Manuel Ugarte
Ugarte is an exciting target, known for his excellent ball-winning skills and with him now being linked to Old Trafford, former United forward Diego Forlan’s comments are worth looking into.
Forlan is aware of Ugarte’s ability and told ESPN Uruguay as much as they wrote that he, “pointed out that years ago he knew the enormous potential of Manuel Ugarte”.
The former United striker has also previously provided United fans with some insight into what kind of player he is as he explained to Futbol UY that Ugarte is “very important in the middle to free Valverde and Bentancur.
“Defensively he adds a lot. If I were a coach, I would love to put Ugarte in the middle”.
This is perfect as defensively Ugarte would add plenty to this United squad which needs exactly that in midfield next season after how terrible the midfield was defensively during 202/25.
What Manuel Ugarte would add to Manchester United
In terms of the type of player Ugarte is Forlan’s description comes very close to nailing it with his tackling and interceptions clear standouts.
According to FBRef, Ugarte completes 4.11 tackles per 90 (99th percentile) and also 1.86 interceptions per 90 (96th percentile), while being compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues.
Ugarte is also a very tidy passer completing 91.2% of his passes on average which makes him a good fit for that role alongside Kobbie Mainoo.
Incredibly tenacious and aggressive, Ugarte would be an interesting addition and his price tag will also be interesting considering PSG will want to profit on the £51.1m they spent on him last summer.