Manchester United splashed out to sign Manuel Ugarte in the summer, who is growing into his role in midfield.
Manuel Ugarte is beginning to show why Manchester United signed him, putting in a series of impressive performances just in time for Ruben Amorim’s arrival.
The Uruguayan played under Amorim at Sporting, but between these experiences, Ugarte spent a season in France with Paris Saint-Germain.
Ugarte won the Ligue 1 title in France, featuring in Kylian Mbappe’s final season at the club before his big move to Real Madrid.
Ugarte on Mbappe
Manchester United star Manuel Ugarte has been speaking out about his time with Mbappe, in an interview with BeIN Sports.
Ugarte says he was taken aback by Mbappe’s elusiveness on the pitch, his ability to create space away from defenders.
He said: “He is one of the players who surprised me the most in everything: how he gets players off of him and how he finishes.”
Ugarte says he has no doubts about Mbappe’s ability to fit into the Real Madrid dressing room, and praised his character.
He said: “On a day-to-day basis he is a very good person, his brother is there too, and they are both the same. Kylian speaks Spanish and he was always a 10 with me.”
Mbappe yet to hit the heights
Kylian Mbappe’s spectacular move to Real Madrid has not been the European football gamechanger many anticipated it might be.
Real were hammed 4-0 at home by Barcelona in the recent El Clasico, and they now trail their rivals by six points.
Mbappe has scored six goals in 11 games in La Liga, and one in four matches in the Champions League.
The extra Mbappe brings is an adjustment to some of the Real players, while at PSG, it was part and parcel of the project.
This spotlight will have helped prepare Ugarte for the pressure and demands at Manchester United, which never go away, even if there is not an Mbappe-level star leading the attack.
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