With Scott McTominay on the verge of a move to Napoli in Serie A, Manchester United are expected to complete a £42.3 million deal for PSG midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
The deal for the 23-year-old also includes up to £8.5 million in additional payments, and the Uruguay international (who was picked in the Copa America ‘Team of the Tournament’ this summer) will add some much-needed physicality to the United midfield.
But what exactly can the Red Devils expect from Ugarte, and how will he impact United’s seasonal odds at the leading 20bet crypto betting site? Let’s get into it!
What do the Stats Tell Us?
While Luis Enrique is happy to unload Ugarte after signing João Neves from Benfica, this has more to do with the Spaniard’s preferred style of play than the Uruguayan’s own performances.
From a defensive perspective, Ugarte recorded the second-most tackles among midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues last season, averaging an impressive 4.56 per 90 minutes. Incredibly, he registered 8.42 ball recoveries per game (the fourth best such tally in Europe in 2023/24) and 181 overall.
Only five midfielders in Europe won possession more often in the attacking third (1.35 times per 90) too, so Ugarte clearly has a strong defensive presence and exceptional physicality.
Most importantly, these figures compare favourably to United’s current midfield pivot Casemiro. The legendary Brazilian struggled in the EPL last season, managed just 3.76 tackles and 6.03 ball recoveries per 90. He also won far fewer challenges on ground (4.62 compared with 6.79 per 90 minutes), as he struggled with the relentless pace of the league.
Is Ugarte Good in Possession?
Of course, it can be argued that Casemiro is a better and more progressive passer. However, he lost the ball far more often than Ugarte last season (13.6 compared with 8.56 times per game), while his pass completion rate was significantly lower as a result.
In fact, Ugarte completed 1214 of his 1331 attempted passes in 2023/24, while his pass completion rate of 91.2% was the ninth highest in Ligue 1.
He also completed 22,281 passing yards during the domestic campaign for PSG, highlighting a deceptively impressive range of passing as he looked to maintain and rotate possession in the middle third.
These stats suggest that Ugarte may be better on the ball than some pundits give him credit for, while it should be noted that the Uruguayan will be partnered with the cultured pair of Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes. So, his job will be to screen the defence and recover the ball, before feeding those in front of him and helping to launch attacks.
Ultimately, he represents an upgrade on the current iteration of Casemiro, and in many respects, he’s the type of player that United have needed for several years.
