The loss against Liverpool has taken the shine off what preceded the kickoff when Manuel Ugarte was presented to the fans at Old Trafford.
If anything, the game that ensued afterward laid bare the need for Manuel Ugarte in the side as Casemiro was subbed off at half-time as an act of mercy on him.
All this has built up to the feverish excitement of seeing the Uruguayan line up at the base of midfield for the first time.
He could be a contender to feature in some capacity vs Southampton on September 14, and Erik ten Hag has welcomed the man who might well play a huge role in saving his job with a fighting message.
Erik ten Hag welcomes Manuel Ugarte
Manchester United’s media team have upped their game in the window as well as the club has given the fans a deeper insight.
Be it through behind-the-scenes of a transfer announcement, or more involved training clips, fans have got a glimpse of what their favourite players or manager are like behind the scenes.
In the most recent such video, fans are taken behind Manuel Ugarte’s day of announcement as a United player.
In the video, he is welcomed by a tremendously excited Erik ten Hag, who greets him warmly before summing him up with a six-word message.
Ten Hag took Ugarte to a wall with the message “United and fight”, and said, “This is good [pointing at the wall] because this guy brings us the fight“, pointing towards Ugarte.
Ugarte got confused for a moment as to who Ten Hag was talking about in a hilariously wholesome exchange before saying, “It’s an honour for me to fight!”
The manager then urged him to bring his trademark aggression to Old Trafford in an exchange that will undoubtedly bring a smile to many fans’ faces. [Ugarte-Ten Hag exchange starts at about 1.10]
Manuel Ugarte is exactly who Man Utd need
Nobody should be under any illusion that Manuel Ugarte will single-handedly fix all the problems at Man United.
However, he is exactly who United need at the base of their midfield in the current setup, as long as Ten Hag simplifies the game for the No. 6 alongside Kobbie Mainoo.
Rio Ferdinand recently said Casemiro’s game was stretched beyond limit which led to him breaking down and the same shouldn’t be done to Ugarte.
As Ten Hag says so himself, Ugarte is at his best in an aggressive ball-winning role, even though his qualities on the ball are underrated.
To begin with, just letting the player do what he’s best at will be the ideal way to get his feet settled under him at United.
It is already clear that he has the personality and the motivation to play for the club. His talent isn’t in question either since he’s already played for some top clubs.
Now it’s just a matter of getting up to speed and finding a place for himself in the squad. Fortunately for him, the No. 6 position is screaming for someone like him.
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