Ex-PSG €50M-Rated Star’s ‘Bite’ Earns Praise After Man Utd’s Win Over Man City | OneFootball

Manchester United’s summer signing, Manuel Ugarte, faced early criticism during the 2024-25 season. Paris Saint-Germain sold Ugarte to United for a reported €50 million, with an additional €10 million in potential add-ons and a 10 percent sell-on clause.

While Erik ten Hag was the one who brought him to Old Trafford, the task of helping Ugarte reach his full potential now falls to new manager Rúben Amorim.

The midfielder previously flourished under Amorim’s guidance at Sporting CP between 2021 and 2023, a period that paved the way for his move to PSG.

Manuel Ugarte begins to earn praise from English pundits

Octavio Passos/Getty Images

The Uruguayan has silenced his critics, earning praise for being ‘horrible’ to play against after playing a key role in Manchester United’s weekend victory over rivals Manchester City.

“He has really, really surprised me,” Troy Deeney said after naming Ugarte in his BBC Sport Team of the Week. “I know it’s still early days under the new manager, but Ugarte has a bit of bite about him. He’s a bit horrible and even at 1-0 down he was making important tackles, blocks and getting attacks started.

“I thought he was the catalyst as to why they went on to win. I thought if it wasn’t for him they wouldn’t actually be in the game. An underrated performance that only his team-mates will appreciate.”

Ugarte recently spoke about the Portuguese manager and noted what he’ll bring to the Manchester United squad, who have struggled to start this 2024-25 season.

“I saw that the Sporting fans were upset and that’s obvious because Amorim is a great coach,” Ugarte said. “He’s good for United, we have to take advantage and let him get his ideas across as quickly as possible. I think it will be a different dynamic.

“The day-to-day will be similar to that at Sporting. Changing the league, the country, football… It’s a big challenge for him but we all know he has the ability. My teammates ask me a lot about him. What surprised them was his age. He also really wants to win and that’s very important. I say he’ll like it.”