Of the five players Erik ten Hag brought to Manchester United this summer, only one started in Sunday’s match against Aston Villa—Leny Yoro, who is still nursing an injury. Yoro entered the game during the second half but has yet to find the net in his nine appearances. Meanwhile, Manuel Ugarte, who arrived for £42 million on transfer deadline day, is another significant addition.
The initial optimism surrounding Ugarte’s ability to address the issues surrounding Casemiro has diminished considerably over the past three matches. Following a poor performance in the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham, the 23-year-old has been absent from the squad for the subsequent two matches.
Any assumption that he was merely rested for the Europa League clash against Porto was proven incorrect on Sunday when Ten Hag opted to leave him on the bench once more. Instead, Christian Eriksen partnered with Kobbie Mainoo in midfield, while Casemiro, the player Ugarte was expected to replace, came on in the second half. It seems Ten Hag may have conceded defeat regarding Ugarte’s role.
Nonetheless, it’s still early days, and Ugarte has the opportunity to prove his critics wrong. He has only participated in four Premier League games so far, with his first minutes of the season coming during the last international break for Uruguay.
Prior to joining United, he hadn’t played for Paris Saint-Germain, and his initial league appearances for the club were as a substitute while he regained his fitness. Starting against Tottenham but then being left out of subsequent matches feels like a regression, especially given that he has no injury issues.
His absence from late-game substitutions in the following matches was particularly disappointing. United could have used additional midfield support against Porto and might have benefited from fielding two defensive midfielders at the end of the match against Villa to secure a crucial point, yet Ugarte remained unused in both instances.
Ugarte has received a call-up to Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers, which should provide him with essential playing time. United’s next match is at home against Brentford.
Playing at Old Trafford against a side they haven’t lost to at home since 1937, it presents a perfect opportunity for Ugarte to regain his form. Should he find himself sidelined again or only given a fleeting chance to play, Ten Hag may face scrutiny regarding the decision to acquire Ugarte if he remains in charge.
Fans are also hoping for improved performances from Matthijs De Ligt, who only featured at Villa Park due to Harry Maguire’s injury, after a tough start to the season. Noussair Mazraoui was the sole new signing to start that game, likely due to a crisis at full-back.
Diogo Dalot continues to fill in at left-back while Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are sidelined, though he is expected to return to his right-back position when one of them is fit again. Joshua Zirkzee was anticipated to serve as a backup once Rasmus Hojlund recovered from his injury.
