It is Manuel Ugarte debut day at Manchester United.
Or, at least, it could be.
Erik ten Hag confirmed during his pre-Southampton press conference on Friday that Manchester United’s new £42 million deadline day arrival is available to feature at St Mary’s during Saturday’s lunch time kick off.
Whether he does, however, remains to be seen.
Ten Hag is keen to avoid throwing Ugarte straight in at the deep end, warning it could take weeks or even months before the Uruguay international is fully au fait with life in the Premier League.
Then again, with Casemiro’s awful display against Liverpool fresh in the memory, a disastrous 45 minutes from the veteran Brazilian could perhaps serve to speed up Manuel Ugarte’s involvement.
Manuel Ugarte ready for Manchester United debut
An elite ball-winner and an underrated ball-progressor too – Ugarte hitting back at those like Paul Scholes who cast doubt on his technical talents – the 24-year-old arrived at Man United after falling out of favour at a Paris Saint-Germain side transitioning towards a more typically Spanish style under Luis Enrique.
But Ten Hag insists that Ugarte had been on his – and United’s – radar long before his move to the French capital in 2023.
“I played him already when I was manager at Ajax and he was at Sporting Lisbon,” Ten Hag recalls, via Sky Info on YouTube. “So, quite a long time on my radar.”
Ten Hag’s Ajax went head to head with the Portuguese giants during the Champions League group-stages back in 2021.
An Ajax side containing Lisandro Martinez, Noussair Mazraoui and Antony tore Sporting apart on both occasions, racking up nine goals across the two ties.
But Ugarte, who started that 4-2 defeat at the Johan Cruyff Arena three years ago, still caught the eye of the man in the opposition dugout; holding his own as the rest of his Sporting team-mates spent the evening chasing shadows in Amsterdam.
“It was not only that (Sporting) match but seasons after when he played for Uruguay, for Paris,” Ten Hag adds. “I have (had) him in my mind, in my eye. The scouting department has him in their mind.
“We followed him and we judged he would be a really good fit for our team.”
Erik ten Hag could remove Casemiro from firing line
Ugarte feels he is ready to go at Old Trafford.
After starting and impressing in both of Uruguay’s World Cup qualifiers during the September international break, Ugarte played down fears over a lack of match sharpness and a recent fever which left him ‘feeling down’.
Ten Hag, meanwhile, highlights the crucial role Ugarte is likely to play in his United side.
With that 45 minute Liverpool nightmare seemingly a wake-up call for those feeling that this season could represent a redemption arc for the increasingly-maligned Casemiro, Ugarte feels like the industrial strength glue United need to hold their often ramshackle midfield together.
“He is coming in late but he is playing in a very important position,” Ten Hag adds. You have to connect defending with attacking and attacking with defending.
“Communication is very important. (Ugarte is) there to guide the team, to lead the time, and make that connection between defence and attacking. We have to help him.Wwe have to guide him how he has to play that role.
“But what we have seen, he already knows a lot. He has the profile where we think he can fit in that role, and now we have to reach him some details.”
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