Amorim to unlock €50m Man Utd star after Van Nistelrooy verdict

Tom Weber

Updated: 3 Nov 2024 13:41 GMT
4 min read

Manuel Ugarte has a big future at Manchester United, according to Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Ruben Amorim could be the man to elevate him to a new level.

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The Uruguay international has had to face some criticism in the early stages of this season. It took a while for Ugarte to get into the team after his protracted €50 million transfer from PSG and his first few performances left a lot to be desired.

The 23-year-old was signed to finally fix arguably Man Utd's biggest problem position: the defensive midfield. For years, Erik ten Hag had been chasing Frenkie de Jong as the missing piece for his style of play but he never did manage to get him.

Indeed, one of the defining aspects of Ten Hag's failed stint at Old Trafford was the fact that the club were unable to get him a De Jong-esque player for the No.6 position. Neither Casemiro nor Ugarte are the same profile and it influenced the performances under Ten Hag.

With the 54-year-old gone, Ugarte can now look forward to a head coach who understands exactly how to get the best of him.

Amorim to unlock Ugarte

Ugarte started alongside Casemiro in interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy's first game in charge against Leicester in the Carabao Cup. The performance was encouraging, which prompted the Dutchman to address the criticism of the former PSG star.

"I'm convinced about Manuel that he will be a great player for United," Van Nistelrooy said. "He had a very good performance yesterday and against Fenerbahce, he had a good performance. I think, of course, getting players in an early conclusion, players who are here for two or three months, we should be careful with that I think.

"It's a great signing, he's a very good player, professional, he has very specific qualities in midfield when he gets in between players and recovers the ball for us to get us in attacking positions. Also on the ball, very decent, so I mean he will be a very good player for this club.

"He wants to do well for this club and is very motivated to do so. He is getting better every time and the performance yesterday was good and we can build on that. We are very thin in midfield and we're going to need him in the coming games, which I think he'll do well in."

Van Nistelrooy, of course, won't be in charge of the side for long. Ruben Amorim is set to take over on November 11, but Ugarte has nothing to fear.

Indeed, it was Amorim who turned the Uruguay international into one of Europe's most sought-after midfielders at Sporting CP. The Portuguese will know exactly how to unlock Ugarte even if his preferred system may have to be adjusted given the player at his disposal.

Ugarte starred under Amorim in Portugal and put his name on the map for Europe's elite, with Chelsea and PSG battling for his signature in 2023. Both player and coach will feel confident that they can rekindle that special relationship they enjoyed in Lisbon.