Manwan: Ugat can be regarded as a new player, and he should perform better with a pre-season running-in period this summer

July 10th, Manchester Evening News wrote an article about Ugat, who believes that the Uruguayan midfielder can be regarded as a new player in the new season.

When Manchester United appointed Amorin to replace Tenhach in November last year, the most benefited player in the team was Ugath. This midfielder who just joined from Paris Saint-Germain two months ago worked with Amorin during Portugal Sports. Ugat played 85 games for Portugal Sports, all of which were coached by Amorin.

Ugat took the responsibility of injecting much-needed defensive wisdom into Manchester United midfielder when he switched to Old Trafford from Princes Park. Although Casemiro performed amazingly in Manchester United's 2022-23 season, his subsequent decline in form made the defensive midfielder the focus of signings in the 2024 summer window. Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain finally signed Ugat on August last year after weeks of negotiations.

After confirming the signing of the Uruguay international for an initial transfer fee of £42.3 million, then Manchester United sports director Ashworth commented: "The introduction of Ugart is one of our primary goals this summer. He is the best midfield strangler in football today, with outstanding performances at the club and national team level. His traits, experience and passion will perfectly strengthen our existing midfield lineup."

However, the Manchester Evening News disclosed at the time that Ugart was not the first choice for Tenghach's midfield signing last summer window, and only ranked third on his wish list.

This fact was fully revealed in the later stage of Tenghach's coaching, and the Dutch coach seemed to deliberately neglect the Uruguay international. Of the seven chances before the get out of class was dismissed on October 28, Ugath won only three starts (only once in the Premier League). Therefore, Amorin's takeover is of great significance to Ugath's return to the main force, and the outside world generally expects that he will form a midfield partner with Menu.

Although Amorin played 34 games from the time of taking over from the end of the season, it was meaningful to miss the starter in the UEFA Cup final and the final match against Aston Villa in the Premier League. When playing against Tottenham, Casemiro partnered with Bruno Fernandez in the midfield, and Ugat was on the bench all the way.

Manchester United fans witnessed his two-sidedness in Ugat's debut season. He does have the qualities to maintain midfield order in an absence of the ball, which can help the team maintain their formation and regain the ball. But the flaws when dealing with balls are also exposed. Unlike in France and Portugal, the fast-paced offensive and defensive transition of the Premier League makes it difficult for Ugath to get space to handle the ball calmly.

As a defensive barrier and midfield scavenger, Ugat is fully competent. But in terms of ball possession, he is far from ideal. This also explains why Manchester United still hopes to sign a more comprehensive midfielder this summer, but given that the forward strengthening is imperative, midfield signings may be temporarily suspended.

The new season, Bruno Fernandez is expected to occupy one of the two No. 8 positions, which means he needs to be equipped with a defensive partner to maintain the midfield balance. Although Ugat is the most qualified defensive expert, he still needs to improve his performance if he wants to lock in the main position. Therefore, pre-season preparations this summer are crucial to him. When he joined the buzzer on August 31 last year, it was already difficult to adapt to the core position of a club of Manchester United's level, let alone solve the team's weakest link.

This year, with a complete summer training period, Ugath should have shown a better condition. If he can seize the opportunity, he has every reason to return to his peak level under Amorin.