Manuel Ugarte is a midfield bruiser… but Man Utd star is NOT immune to making same mistakes as Casemiro vs Liverpool
MANCHESTER UNITED appeared to make a turning point this summer with how they will recruit and build their squad.
For the first time since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill, it appeared there was a long-term plan.
After taking sporting control of the Red Devils, Ineos identified younger players in key areas for, generally, decent fees.
This saw them strengthen the defence with the signings of Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro – a wise move given how much they relied on veteran Jonny Evans, 36, at times last season.
They also added versatile star Noussair Mazraoui at full-back, while Dutchman Joshua Zirkzee brings some much needed link play to the front line.
It is their last deal of the summer, however, which could prove to be the most important, in the form of 23-year-old Uruguay star Manuel Ugarte.
The former Paris Saint-Germain defensive midfielder signed in a deal which could cost £51million, and is a positive and proactive step.
However, while Ugarte is superb off the ball, he does have weaknesses.
Reading of the game
One of the most prominent aspects of Ugarte’s game is his ability to play at the base of a midfield, to read the game and react quickly to threats.
He does not need to be constantly involved in possession, nor does he want to get the ball and break lines with forward passes.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
Instead, he likes to hold a deeper position, where he can react to the threat of quick opposition counterattacks.
This is an area of the midfield in which United were severely lacking last season.
The likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes are more than capable of attacking, meaning United needed to add a more defensive-minded player.
United struggled badly with defending these spaces in midfield last season – they were often too high and too easy for the opposition to play through and bypass.
Ugarte will allow United to be more secure in front of their back line – something they need after being horribly exposed in their 3-0 defeat by Liverpool.
His presence at the base of the midfield will also allow United’s full-backs to bomb on.
Ugarte has the mobility and ability to cover back or across the pitch to prevent the opposition from playing into an attacking space.
The addition of Ugarte to the base of the United midfield will make them stronger and more difficult to break down.
Is his aggression an issue?
Aggression in footballers can often be seen only as a negative thing, but a certain level is needed at the top level.
The issue comes when players cannot channel this intensity effectively and end up tearing around the pitch trying to win the ball back.
That desire needs to be balanced with tactical discipline.
Ugarte still needs to find that balance and his aggressive nature led to PSG sidelining him last season.
Midfield players who can chase and win the ball can, of course, be a positive, as long as they have team-mates around them who can bring balance.
One part of Ugarte’s game that needs further development is understanding when to go, and when to stay put.
Yet with United’s new central defenders they should be more comfortable in a higher line and this will limit the space between the defence, midfield and attack.
This structure and shape would free Ugarte to jump and press more aggressively.
But for now he still provides risk as well as security because teams can look to bait him into pressing high before playing quickly into the space he leaves behind.
United boss Erik ten Hag will need to create a structure and set of pressing rules to bring the best out of Ugarte.
Is his passing a problem?
Ugarte is not a midfielder in the mould of Rodri, for instance.
He is not a top-level passer of the ball and often his distribution can be fairly obvious and easy to defend against.
He does, however, keep the ball fairly well, with stats showing last season he had a passing accuracy of 91.6 per cent compared to Casemiro‘s 82.6 per cent.
He has played at international level and for some of the biggest teams in the world, after all.
Indeed, as long as he is allowed to receive the ball and play short and safe then there should be no issues.
The issues he had at PSG – and that he is likely to have at United – are that teams will recognise his lack of passing ability and let him have the ball.
This is designed to force him to be more expressive on the ball, which can prompt errors, especially in tighter areas.
This is part of the reason he struggled at times with PSG under Luis Enrique.
United are less focused on possession so his lack of ability on the ball should not be as much of a problem.
The Red Devils will not exactly hide Ugarte in possession, although they will need to try to limit his involvement.
Conclusion
Ugarte has a very specific profile and one that United need in midfield.
He will stop them from being so open out of possession and he can win back the ball effectively.
There are, however, issues that United fans will have to be aware of.
As long as Ten Hag uses the Uruguayan international properly though he should prove to be a good signing.