Of the five players Erik ten Hag brought to Manchester United this past summer, only one, Leny Yoro, made it into the lineup for Sunday’s match against Aston Villa. Yoro, however, is still recovering from an injury and only came on as a second-half substitute.
Despite his presence, the young defender has yet to score in his nine appearances for the club. Another notable summer signing, Manuel Ugarte, who was acquired for £42 million on transfer deadline day, has also been in the spotlight, though not for the right reasons.
Initially, there was a lot of excitement surrounding Ugarte, with many expecting him to help address Manchester United’s midfield issues, particularly in replacing the aging Casemiro.
However, that optimism has significantly waned over the last three matches. Ugarte’s poor performance in United’s 3-0 defeat to Tottenham raised concerns, and he hasn’t featured in the squad for the two matches that followed.
Many assumed that Ugarte was being rested when he didn’t play in the Europa League match against Porto, but that theory was proven wrong when Ten Hag chose to leave him on the bench again for the Aston Villa match. Instead of Ugarte, Christian Eriksen was paired with young Kobbie Mainoo in midfield, while Casemiro, the very player Ugarte was supposed to replace, came on in the second half. This decision has led many to speculate that Ten Hag may have lost faith in Ugarte’s ability to perform the role he was brought in for.
That being said, it’s still early in the season, and Ugarte has the opportunity to turn things around. So far, he has made only four Premier League appearances, with his debut coming after the last international break for Uruguay.
Before signing with Manchester United, Ugarte hadn’t played for Paris Saint-Germain, and his first few appearances for the Red Devils were from the bench as he worked on regaining his fitness. His start against Tottenham, followed by being left out of the subsequent matches, has been seen as a setback, especially since there are no reported injuries keeping him out.
Even more disappointing was Ugarte’s absence from late-game substitutions in matches where United could have benefited from his presence. In the Europa League clash against Porto and the Villa match, United could have used extra defensive support, yet Ugarte remained an unused substitute.
Looking ahead, Ugarte has been called up to Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, which should provide him with much-needed playing time. Manchester United’s next match is at home against Brentford, a team they haven’t lost to at Old Trafford since 1937, which could be the perfect opportunity for Ugarte to get back into form.
If, however, Ugarte is left on the sidelines once again or given only minimal minutes, Ten Hag could come under criticism for signing a player who has yet to make a significant impact.
United fans are also looking for improvement from Matthijs De Ligt, who played against Aston Villa only because Harry Maguire was injured, after struggling earlier in the season. Noussair Mazraoui was the only summer signing to start the match, largely due to an injury crisis at full-back.
Diogo Dalot continues to fill in at left-back while Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are recovering from injuries, though he is expected to return to his natural right-back role when one of them is fit again. Joshua Zirkzee, another summer addition, was anticipated to be a backup once Rasmus Hojlund returned from injury.
