€60m fee agreed 

©TM/IMAGO

Manchester United are set to make what many believe to be their final major signing of the summer transfer window. According to multiple reports in England, the Old Trafford side have agreed terms with French counter-parts Paris Saint-Germain and are now set to sign Manuel Ugarte. According to the Athletic, the Uruguayan midfielder will make the move to the Premier League in a deal worth €50 million in up-front fees, with additional add-ons that could take the deal to €60m. If all clauses are met, Ugarte will become Man Utd’s twelfth most expensive signing ever. 

Ugarte was PSG’s ninth most used player last season but he seemed destined to leave the French Champions this summer after just one season in Paris. The Uruguayan joined PSG from Sporting CP last summer for €60 million but his market value dropped by €5m to €45m across that period. His imminent move to Old Trafford now means that the English giants have now spent €214.5m on new signgings this summer – which is the third highest sum of money the club have spent on new players in a single season over the course of the last 10 years. And unquestionably suggests that Man Utd are very serious about Erik Ten Hag taking them back to a top-four finish this time around. 

Why do Manchester United need a new defensive midfielder? 

Although Liverpool had been mentioned by Ugarte’s agent in the past, Manchester United had the strongest interest in the midfielder. Erik ten Hag was targeting a new No.6 this summer with constant speculation over Casemiro’s future. The Brazilian enjoyed an excellent debut campaign at Old Trafford but he struggled last season and appeared in decline at 32. Casemiro was arguably the best defensive midfielder on the planet for several years and he was heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia. The Brazilian, however, has looked much fitter than last season and he impressed in United’s opening day win over Fulham, but Ten Hag still wants to add competition in midfield as Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen could depart before the transfer window close.

As the graphic above illustrates, Ugarte is the fourth most valuable defensive midfielder aged 23 or under. United were actively targeting younger talents this summer and they were strongly linked with two other midfielders on that list – João Neves and Amadou Onana. As such, it was imperative that Ten Hag addressed the imbalances in his tactical set-up that plagued United last season when their defence was badly exposed due to his preference to play transitional football. Only four clubs – Sheffield United, Burnley, Luton and West Ham – faced more shots than United last season and adding a dependable defensive midfielder would make them more solid. 

Why did Manchester United want to sign Manuel Ugarte?

Ugarte certainly fits the bill for United as he’s the right age profile and he’s available at a reasonable price. PSG’s openness to selling Ugarte shouldn’t reflect badly on his ability because it’s mainly due to head coach Enrique’s tactical preferences. Joachim Durand, French Content Manager at Transfermarkt, explains: “Manuel Ugarte does not seem to be Luis Enrique-compatible. His playing time was greatly reduced in the second half of the season. In important matches, the Spanish coach preferred Fabian Ruiz to complete the midfield, and even Kang-in Lee. So he’s no longer an important player, and it isn’t a surprise that PSG have let him go. He is a solid, aggressive defensive midfielder who is particularly useful in recovering the ball and protecting his defence” 

Is Manuel Ugarte the perfect Casemiro replacement? 

Ugarte has the ideal characteristics to be a major success at United as their defensive midfielder. He possesses the ability to win back possession, he’s tenacious in tackles and comfortable on both feet despite not being the most progressive passer. Ugarte’s presence would provide more freedom to Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes and that would represent a well-balanced midfield trio for Ten Hag.

Ugarte, however, doesn’t excel as much in possession as he does defensively and that’s a major reason why Enrique is content to let him leave PSG this season. The Spanish boss wants more technical deep-lying midfielders to progress the ball like Vitinha, Ruiz and Warren Zaire-Emery. Ugarte ranked 29th for passes per 90 last season in Ligue 1, which is relatively low given PSG dominate possession (64.4% average) and nine of the Uruguayan’s teammates ranked higher. While Ugarte didn’t complete a huge volume of passes, he was intelligent in his passing with a completion success of 91.2%,

If Casemiro is beginning to drop off due to age this season, then Ugarte appears a ready-made replacement. The graphic above compares their statistics across last season and there’s significant similarities in their style of play. Both players are enforcers in the No.6 position but Ugarte outperformed Casemiro in terms of interceptions and tackles. Ugarte is a much safer passer than the Man United star and that’s reflected in their passing statistics, where Ugarte has a higher passing success rate but Casemiro completes more progressive passes. As Casemiro enters the twilight of an outstanding career, Ugarte could represent the ideal replacement to provide some much-needed stability to Man United.