Manchester United completed the signing of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte in the summer but the Uruguayan has struggled so far.
Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United signed Manuel Ugarte during the summer for £42 million but it has been a tough start to life at Old Trafford for the South American midfielder.
After a poor start to his United career, Ugarte will certainly benefit from the international break and he will hope to return to top form once the Red Devils take on Brentford after the international matches.
Here are a selection of some of Manuel Ugarte’s harshest criticisms from pundits that he has received during his two months in Manchester.
Micah Richards and Gary Lineker say Ugarte looks a ‘shadow’ of a player
We start off with Micah Richards’ and Gary Lineker’s comments on Ugarte, which came after the Uruguayan’s struggles against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
Speaking on the Rest Is Football Podcast, Richards said: “Ugarte who they have brought in, I know he has only played a couple, but he looks a shadow of the player.”
Lineker agreed with that sentiment and said: “He has only just arrived at a place that is a bit of a pickle and a bit of a mess. It’s difficult.”
Jerdy Schouten would have been better than Manuel Ugarte
Prior to his move to PSG, Ugarte was one of the most sought-after midfielders in Europe during his spell at Sporting Lisbon.
However, after struggling so far at Old Trafford, Dutch journalist Hans Kraay suggested that PSV midfielder Jersey Schouten would have been a better fit for the Red Devils than the tough-tackling Uruguayan.
Whilst Schouten had a decent Euro 2024 with the Netherlands, Ten Hag, and Ineos, surely made the correct decision when it comes to the signing of Ugarte.
Manuel Ugarte lacks the ‘raw speed’ needed for United
After United’s 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last month, the criticisms surrounding Matthijs De Ligt and Ugarte were rife.
Rio Ferdinand claimed that Ugarte lacked the ‘raw speed’ to play in that position, particularly for Ten Hag’s United who play a lot of transition football.
NBC pundit Robbie Earle feels sorry for Manuel Ugarte
Perhaps even worse than being criticised for his performances for United, pundits have shown apathy towards Ugarte.
Robbie Earle had admitted that he felt sorry for Ugarte after United’s defeat to Tottenham saying that he looked out of place and the chaos around him had not helped him.
“Nobody really looks like they know what they are doing,” Earle said, “it must be so difficult for a new player, an international quality player, to come into that team and do your job in the way you think, or expect to do your job.”
Graeme Souness ‘not convinced’ by Manuel Ugarte
Perhaps the least surprising critic of Ugarte has been Graeme Souness – who was always Paul Pogba’s harshest critic at Old Trafford.
It isn’t just Ugarte who failed to convince Souness but De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui too according to The Metro.
“The club spent big again last summer but neither Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt nor Noussair Mazraoui convince me,” Souness said.
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