Manchester United are progressing with a deal to sign Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain, amid a particularly active transfer window for Erik Ten Hag’s side.
If the move is confirmed, he will become United’s third transfer of the summer, marking a significantly busy window – having already completed the signings of Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and Leny Yoro from Lille.
Mail Sport understands PSG are holding out for £59million and will not sell the player for any less – this comes as it was revealed Ugarte has also attracted attention from four other clubs based in Italy, Germany, and England.
Ugarte – who joined PSG last year from Sporting Lisbon – could play alongside Kobbie Mainoo as a defensive midfielder, and Ten Hag will no doubt be hoping the 23-year-old will become an integral part of the main team.
Mail Sport dives a little deeper into Ugarte’s career so far to see how the young midfielder could fare in Ten Hag’s squad and the demands of the Premier League.
Man United are trying to progress with a deal to sign Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain
Erik ten Hag is keen to add a defensive midfielder to his squad during the off-season
Who is the young player?
Ugarte plays as a defensive midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain after joining the club last summer for £42million.
He made his professional debut eight years ago at 15 years old for Fenix and made history by becoming the youngest ever player from the 21st century to play professionally in Uruguay.
Initially developing into a striker, Ugarte scored his first goal in 2019, before later going on to make 14 more appearances in the Uruguayan Primera Division as a midfielder, where he stayed until 2020.
His next venture was Portugal, signing a five-year contract with Famalicao and making his debut for the club in January 2021 where they claimed a 2-0 victory at Santa Clara.
Ugarte then earned a place in the team as a starter, courtesy of his versatility and ability to play in any midfield position. A move to Sporting followed, with him beginning as a backup player and before being promoted to a starting position.
Ugarte has also made 22 caps for his national team and previously achieved five caps for the Uruguay youth team.
Ugarte is quickly becoming a rising star in Uruguay’s midfield and was pivotal in the recent Copa America
Ugarte plays as a defensive midfielder for Ligue 1 side PSG after joining the club last summer for £42million
Ugarte v Casemiro – who comes out on top?
Ugarte made 37 appearances and 27 starts at PSG last season, with his defensive record certainly attracting attention.
The defensive midfielder averaged 14.44 duels per 90 minutes, with nearly half of these being won, averaging 7.05.
He also achieved an average of 4.56 tackles per 90 minutes in his previous Ligue 1 season, with 2.65 of these being won.
Ugarte made 37 appearances and 27 starts at PSG last season, with his defensive record certainly attracting attention
With United eager to sell existing midfielder Casemiro before the season begins, Ugarte could make a natural replacement for the Brazilian.
Casemiro, is entering his third season in England and achieved an average of 3.77 tackles per 90 minutes last season, with 2.55 of these leading to possession.
These figures were reached in 25 appearances and 24 starts for United, with the player on the pitch for 1,982 minutes.
This was a step up from his first year at Old Trafford where he managed an average of 3.73 tackles per 90, and 1.95 of these leading to a turnover in possession.
Casemiro also had an average of 80.1 touches per 90 minutes, with 0.82 take-ons and only 0.41 of these being successful.
This was better compared to Ugarte, who took an average of 74.3 touches per 90 minutes, with 1.86 take-ons, and 0.98 of those being successful.
Ugarte is keen to seal a move to United but no deal has been struck yet with the Parisian side
The stats offer a compelling argument for Ugarte’s dominance, but it will be down to Ten Hag to decide if his proposed new signing could be a permanent replacement for Casemiro, or simply a substitute.
However, Casemiro is not the only player Ugarte should be compared to and if he joins United will most likely be set up in midfield alongside Mainoo.
Mainoo made 24 appearances in the 2023-24 season, starting in every game he played.
In that time, he managed an average of 51.1 touches and 2.71 take-ons per 90 minutes, with 1.45 of these being successful for the England player.
At Sporting Lisbon, Ugarte made a name for himself as one of Europe’s most combative midfielders
Defensively, the current United midfielder has been strong too, averaging 2.20 tackles per 90, with 1.26 of these being where his side won possession of the ball – making Mainoo’s stats almost on par with the rumoured new arrival.
If they do ultimately end up playing alongside each other, then one could complement the other to create a strong midfield base for the rest of the squad.
Strengths and weaknesses
One of Ugarte’s greatest strengths is intercepting passes and tackling. His best season at Sporting saw him make 57 interceptions, with an average of 4.64 players tackled per 90 minutes and 2.64 of these tackles leading to his team winning possession.
At PSG things dropped slightly, but the player is still attractive to many suitors – with 40 interceptions, and averaging 4.56 tackles per 90, with 2.65 of these leading to possession being overturned.
Ugarte also has an average of over eight recoveries per 90 minutes, which was the highest in the Primeira Liga, and along with his tendency to rarely lose possession and his exceptionally good first pass after receiving possession, he can set off on dangerous attacks towards the opposition box.
If United can land their target then the stats suggest Ugarte could be right up there amongst the Premier League’s most dominant defensive midfielders
Examine this along with his experience playing as a striker for Felix and the footballing ability of this 23-year-old Uruguayan appears to be fairly rounded – with his defence being just as remarkable as his attack, and Ugarte rarely being passed by opposition players in midfield.
He does have some weaknesses which could cause concern in the United conference rooms however, and this is his disciplinary record.
In the 2022-23 Liga Portugal season for Sporting, Ugarte received 11 yellow cards, and committed 62 fouls – but has shown signs of calming down and last season only received five yellow cards for PSG.
Can he fit into United’s squad?
Back when the young star was at Sporting, Ugarte often played at the base of the midfield, within a 3-4-2-1 formation and alongside Hidemasa Morita. Later at PSG, he was at times switched to being the midfielder protector in a 4-1-5 formation.
Ten Hag is known to prefer a 4-2-3-1 formation, which would mean Ugarte has an important defensive role alongside Mainoo – and if the stats are anything to go by then this could make for an impressive midfield partnership.
A deal is still yet to be done, but if United can land their target then the stats suggest Ugarte could be right up there amongst the Premier League’s most dominant defensive midfielders.
