Uruguay and Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte has now explained what he has heard about David Moyes’ first-ever signing at Old Trafford.
David Moyes succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson in the Old Trafford hot seat after the iconic 84-year-old former Manchester United manager retired back in 2013.
The 63-year-old Everton manager was only in charge at the Premier League club for 10 months before Man Utd sacked Moyes from his role at Old Trafford in 2014.
United were seventh at the time of Moyes’ dismissal and the Scotsman would be replaced by former Netherlands and Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal.
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Man Utd and Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte speaks about former David Moyes signing Guillermo Varela
Guillermo Varela was the first-ever signing of David Moyes at Manchester United after the Red Devils landed the Uruguayan right-back from Atletico Penarol in 2013.
United paid an undisclosed fee for defender Guillermo Varela, who was only 20 years old when he left his native homeland and arrived at Old Trafford.
Varela struggled to break into the United first-team squad on a regular basis and he only made 20 senior appearances for the Red Devils before his 2017 exit.
Manuel Ugarte has revealed that he spoke with Varela about United before his own 2024 move and even admitted that the Red Devils staff spoke fondly of him.
“Yeah, I spoke with him about the club and also I spoke with the staff [at United] about him,” he told Manchester United’s official website.
“They like him and, of course, he has really good memories in this club.”
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Manuel Ugarte on what Uruguay teammate Guillermo Varela felt about his ill-fated spell at Man Utd
Guillermo Varela was loaned to Real Madrid Castilla and Eintracht Frankfurt during his spell at United before moving back to Atletico Penarol permanently in 2017.
The Uruguay international later played for the likes of Copenhagen and Dynamo Moscow before settling at current club Flamengo after an initial loan spell.
Ugarte admitted that Uruguay teammate Varela has fond memories of his time at Man Utd, despite struggling to make a name for himself at Old Trafford.
“He was young when he was here, but he enjoyed [it] a lot and it was a big achievement in his career,” he added.
Ugarte, who is linked with a move away from Old Trafford this summer, has been called up for Uruguay’s 26-man World Cup squad under head coach Marcelo Bielsa.
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