A little tour and then it’s gone. In the summer of 2024, Paris Saint-Germain decided to part ways with Manuel Ugarte, just one year after his arrival from Sporting CP for €60 million. A choice that got people talking at the time. Today, many say that the capital club made the right decision, especially since the current midfielders fully satisfy Luis Enrique. For his part, the Uruguayan international has been living in Manchester for a little over a year, where he is going through complicated times. Last year, just a few months after his signing for €60 million, he was quickly tackled by the English press. THE Daily Mail had even revealed that the Red Devils had placed him on the list of players potentially for sale in the 2025 winter transfer window.
Ugarte is in trouble
But Ugarte remained, determined to impose himself under the orders of Ruben Amorim. A coach he knows like the back of his hand since they worked together at Sporting CP between 2021 and 2023. But their reunion in England does not go as they had imagined. Last year, Ugarte had a mixed year, scoring 2 goals and providing 6 assists in 45 matches in all competitions, including 36 as a starter. The 24-year-old footballer, who also worked under Erik ten Hag, did not completely convince Amorim. Recently, The Athletic revealed that the Portuguese severely criticized the midfielder in the locker room after the Europa League final lost to Tottenham. He told him that he had slowed down his work rate and relaxed since their first collaboration at Sporting CP.
The Manchester United coach, who has seen a better version of Ugarte, hoped to sting him and find the player he adores. But this 2025-26 season, Ugarte is still struggling. He participated in 10 matches, including only 3 as a starter (346 minutes played, 0 goals or assists). He was also on the bench without coming into play on 2 occasions. All this raises questions in England, where the Daily Mail wrote: “Ugarte, recruited for €60 million in August 2024, before the arrival of Amorim, is going through a bad patch and, having only benefited from 27 minutes of play in total in the last three matches. Amorim openly admitted that his midfield was in difficulty.
Amorim sends him a message
Same story for Manchester Evening News : “we expected progress from the community after the appointment of Amorim. Ugarte had his best performances under Amorim at Sporting, but he has yet to replicate those performances at Old Trafford. Ugarte has only started twice in the Premier League this season. The 24-year-old has played just 346 minutes in 10 appearances (including seven as a substitute) in all competitions. Amorim encouraged him to pull himself together.” Indeed, the 39-year-old coach did not hesitate to tackle his player in front of the press. “No, I understand. We feel that a lot of very good players come here, and sometimes they have difficulties, and that’s the case for him at the moment.
He added: “but our job is to try to help our players, and again everything can change, and you saw five weeks ago the environment (at the club) was completely different. So I know that Ugarte is going through a difficult time, and my job is to help him feel like a player, like I was when he played for Sporting, for example. But it’s a different world, and he has to adapt and progress, especially in training.” But the Uruguayan will have to work harder because the competition is fierce, as Salim Baungally, a journalist specializing in English football, explains to us.
His affairs will get even more complicated
“There has been a lot of money and hopes placed on Ugarte. Especially since Casemiro, who arrived before him, was quite disappointing. In the end, the hopes for Ugarte were never transformed. It never gave absolute satisfaction. Amorim doesn’t move too much with his 3-4-3. In the end, the one who has been coming back well for many, many weeks is Casemiro. He is good and we have Bruno Fernandes who also does the defensive work. So there isn’t much room for Ugarte today. He is a replacement. In the last Manchester United matches, he came into play quite a few times. Today, he is behind in the hierarchy.” And he could still go backwards since the Daily Mail indicates that MU intends to recruit in midfield next summer at the latest.
The names of Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba and João Gomes are mentioned. Ruben Amorim did not necessarily deny this information. “It’s hard to say we’re looking to add midfielders at the moment, but I think we can add some in the future. I don’t know when… sometimes it’s not the quality of the players that is the problem, but their characteristics, and we can improve in certain areas within our club. But I’m happy with the players we have at the moment and I think they still have a lot to contribute. So my job is to focus on them, and not on the others who aren’t there.” Manuel Ugarte still has a little respite to try to get back on track and find a place. This evening, however, he should start on the bench against Everton, during the 12th day of the Premier League.
