Football writer Alex Keble looks at what qualities defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte will bring to Old Trafford after his arrival from Paris Saint-Germain.
Player analysis - Manuel Ugarte (Man Utd)
Finally, after nearly three months of negotiation, Manchester United have got their man.
That will bring relief and excitement for some, but opinion is split on whether they ought to have chased Ugarte for so long; whether he is the right No 6 to take United to the next level.
Ugarte is a classic destroyer, not a Rodri-like progressive ball-player. He is an up-and-at-them tackler, and nothing like Erik ten Hag's initial target last summer, Frenkie de Jong.
No matter what your view of his talents, it is a bold signing - and a highly instructive one, because here is further proof Ten Hag is not trying to play Ajax football.
By signing Ugarte, Ten Hag is doubling down on quick transitions, on fast and direct football. His success at Old Trafford could be defined by that decision, which means the signing of Ugarte is a crucial one.
What are Ugarte's key talents?
Ugarte has been signed as a pure defensive destroyer.
He had the second-best tackles-per-90 rate in Europe’s top five leagues last season, with 4.6, behind only the 5.1 of former Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, the man he was once signed to replace at Sporting CP.
Ugarte's 8.42 recoveries per 90 was also the seventh-highest total in Europe’s top five leagues, and his 2.7 tackles won per 90 was the best figure in Ligue 1.
Ugarte's tackles in Ligue 1, 2023/24
These numbers reflect Ugarte’s hunger, his warrior mentality. He has boundless energy and a fierce, unguarded desire to hunt the ball down all over the pitch, possessing “seven lungs” according to former coach Juan Ramon Carrasco.
Smarterscout’s player ratings put him in the 99th percentile for "disrupting opposition moves" and in the 92nd percentile for "recovering a moving ball".
This is good news for Man Utd, whose problems with a wide-open central midfield have been well-documented.
As well as the Red Devils facing the second-most shots in the Premier League last season, with 660, Opta have revealed that United’s opponents registered 620 transitions reaching the final third last campaign, more than anyone else.
Ugarte has been signed to stamp out those transitions; to add bite and aggression in the middle and to close the midfield gaps by winning back possession.
What is Ugarte's main weakness?
If there is a concern, it is that Ugarte does not compare favourably with the best No 6s in Europe when it comes to actions in possession. He lacks the progressive passing even of Casemiro.
The modern defensive midfielder is generally expected to be an expert press-resistant passer, acting as the metronome who distributes the ball through the lines, even when under pressure.
Compared with some of the best around, including United’s old target De Jong, Ugarte falls short of that standard.
Ugarte v selected midfielders in league 23/24
| Player | Club | Progressive passes/90 |
|---|---|---|
| Rodri | Man City | 11.5 |
| Frenkie de Jong | Barcelona | 9.2 |
| Casmemiro | Man Utd | 5.1 |
| Manuel Ugarte | PSG | 4.1 |
The eye test suggests the same. Ugarte often plays safe sideways passes, which made him of limited use to Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain, hence his departure after just one season at the club.
Ugarte is a bit one-dimensional, then, although his technical deficiencies are generally overstated; he is reliable, just not suitable for a team that seek to dominate the ball.
Helping Ten Hag play the 'United Way'
As a case in point, while Ugarte struggled in his sole season at PSG, he excelled in midfield for Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay at the 2024 Copa America. And his success under Bielsa is a big hint about the future of Man Utd.
Ten Hag has made no secret of his desire to play fast, direct football that taps into the "United Way".
“I can't play like Ajax because I have different players,” he said in May 2023. “I came here with my philosophy, based on possession, but I wanted to combine it with the DNA of Manchester United, the players and their characters. I want to emphasise more on going direct.”
Ugarte’s full-throttle approach – his chasing-down of possession and unusual capacity to win the ball high – fits this perfectly, helping to release speedy wingers into space.
Ten Hag does not want to emulate Enrique’s football at PSG. He wants a Bielsa-type, front-footed player who, by forcing turnovers all over the pitch, creates attacking transitions in which Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo, Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee can thrive.
Can Ugarte adapt to Premier League?
However, Ugarte’s problems at PSG weren’t entirely tactical. Many critics have suggested that he struggled to step up from Portuguese football to Ligue 1, and certainly Ugarte had some shaky days in the UEFA Champions League.
In PSG’s group-stage defeat at AC Milan last season, Ugarte was substituted on the hour-mark after winning three of his 15 attempted duels. He went on to play just 26 minutes in their six knockout matches.
The increased speed and physicality of French and Champions League football was a problem for Ugarte, therefore another step up - to the extremely fast and physical Premier League - will be a challenge.
It isn’t unusual to see Ugarte mistime his tackles and get beaten in the dribble, often because he has moved in too quickly. He might have attempted 4.6 tackles per 90 last season, but he only won 2.7, or 59 per cent.
Worse, by rushing out of position to make those tackles, he can leave his team-mates exposed.
That is the very last thing a wide-open Man Utd midfield need. In fact, players pressing sporadically, or doing so out of sync with their team-mates, is precisely why those huge gaps appeared throughout 2023/24.
If Ugarte struggles with the speed of Premier League football, he could make Man Utd’s midfield weaknesses even more pronounced.
Ten Hag is gambling on a central midfielder who goes against the grain of the modern No 6. It is undoubtedly a risky signing – and one that could define the Ten Hag era, for better or worse.
