Multiple reports suggest Manchester United’s pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte is close to coming to fruition.
As per a report from Sky Sports, there is “a willingness from all parties to get a deal done” as the transfer deadline approaches.
The search for reinforcement in the deep midfield positions has been a constant of Erik ten Hag’s Old Trafford reign, going back to the failure to secure Frenkie de Jong’s services during his first summer at the helm in 2022.
Casemiro arrived from Real Madrid instead and the experienced Brazilian performed superbly during his first season before falling away badly last term. Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay have also been deployed in the role but are more effective further forward, while Sofyan Amrabat’s performances on loan from Fiorentina were largely underwhelming.
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The 23-year-old Ugarte is certainly a more agreeable age profile and his combative side has caught the eye, prompting excitement among the United fanbase.
The numbers certainly back up Ugarte’s reputation. According to data collected by Opta, Ugarte ranked in the top 10 among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues (all competitions) in 2023/24 in terms of interceptions, recoveries and tackles when the numbers are broken down into output per 90 minutes played.
He averaged an incredible 8.13 recoveries per 90, third behind Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (8.26) and Jonas Martin (8.22). Ugarte’s 4.1 tackles put him fifth on that metric, with Joao Palhinha (5.01) the only player to average above five.
For interceptions, Ugarte’s 1.86 per 90 puts him ninth in the top five leagues. However, he also absolutely knows what he’s doing with the ball at his feet. None of the players to have tallied ahead of Ugarte for interceptions, tackles or recoveries can boast better than his 91.5% passing accuracy.
