A collection of thoughts on Manchester United…
Manuel Ugarte injury changes little
Like everybody else, I feel very sorry for Manuel Ugarte. The midfielder suffered a torn ACL during Uruguay’s World Cup defeat to Spain, a loss that confirmed their elimination.
Ugarte has had a terrible 12 months or so. He was left out of the Europa League Final, before a largely abject 2025/26 season where he looked dismal every time he played – which was admittedly very irregularly.
It was quite clear that Ugarte needed to leave United. Now the serious injury means he is in no position to do so.
For Manchester United, this does not have to change much. It was already clear that three new midfielders were required.
One to replace Casemiro, a second for squad depth with the Champions League, and then a third to upgrade Ugarte.
An agreement has been reached to sign Ederson from Atalanta, and it felt like he was the Ugarte replacement.
I still expect United to sign two more midfielders to bulk out the squad for the upcoming season.
The only blow is the lack of fee that will be incoming for Ugarte. But this was no guarantee anyway. There was a real chance that United would have had to settle for a loan fee for the Uruguayan in any case.
If that wasn’t the case, then United will need to find funds elsewhere. That could mean allocating funds that could have been spent on another position (eg striker) towards midfield – which is clearly a more urgent priority.
What does success for Man Utd look like for you in 2026/27?
While it's early days (we need new signings) – tell us what you think United should be aiming for?
Get on with it
Manchester United’s pre-season starts on July 9, that’s next Thursday. As it stands, there will be no new signings turning up for day one.
This would be only the third time this has occurred in the past 11 seasons.
It’s not really good enough.
Manchester United face a huge summer. This is a potentially legacy-defining one for Ineos. Will they back Michael Carrick, their chosen manager, after he secured Champions League football?
Or will it end up being seen as a wasted opportunity, similar to the summer of 2018 under Jose Mourinho, when we finished second and followed it up by signing Diogo Dalot, Fred and Lee Grant?
I’m trying not to be too impatient, there are several weeks left of the window, and West Ham are demanding silly money for Mateus Fernandes.
But there comes a point where you have to pay up, or walk away. United should have 10 alternative options lined up. Perhaps more.
Should Man Utd walk away from the Mateus Fernandes deal if West Ham refuse to lower their asking price? 🤔
West Ham are sticking to their £85m demands for Mateus Fernandes
World Cup thoughts
It has been a strange World Cup so far, and one that I think we will later look back on more fondly.
All of the big players are stepping up and producing, and I feel that we will look back wistfully on a tournament where Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo are all scoring goals at the same time.
The best is yet to come, with the knockout stages just getting started. We can be particularly proud of Matheus Cunha’s performances, he has scored three goals in his two starts.
United paid £60 million for him last summer, and that fee looks like increasingly good business with the way he is performing on the big stage.
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