‘I was a little bit upset’ – Man Utd flop told he should have joined Chelsea in ‘perfect’ move | OneFootball

Chelsea legend Gus Poyet thinks compatriot Manuel Ugarte would have been better off moving to Stamford Bridge over Man Utd

The Red Devils signed Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2024 for an initial fee worth €50m with a transfer potentially rising to €60m on certain conditions.

Casemiro has already revealed that he will be leaving on a free transfer at the end of the season and it seems likely that Ugarte will follow the Brazilian out of Old Trafford if Man Utd can find a buyer.

Ugarte has started just nine times in all competitions for Man Utd this season and Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that he could leave in the summer.

Romano said earlier this month: “There is a player who could leave the club at the end of the season and I would keep a close eye on Manuel Ugarte.

“Because Casemiro is leaving on a free, but around Ugarte there is already some movement about clubs interested.

“There are clubs in Italy considering the possibility of going for Ugarte. So there is some interest from Italy.

“In the January window, Gatasaray were interested, but then nothing really concrete, nothing really advanced [happened] and so all parties decided not to proceed.”

And Poyet wishes that Chelsea had signed Ugarte over Man Utd in the 2024 summer transfer window as he would have been “perfect” for the Blues at the time.

When asked if he wants Ugarte to leave Man United this summer, Poyet told Goal: “Yeah, and it’s affected me a lot because he’s from Uruguay.

“Before he went to Paris Saint-Germain, I wanted him to come to Chelsea. When they started the rumours, Chelsea, big Chelsea, you know you want to come, make a decision, come to Chelsea.

“I don’t know him, so I couldn’t call him! And he went to Paris Saint-Germain and I was a little bit upset because I thought it was perfect at that time for Chelsea.

“But after that, he kind of didn’t kick on. Paris Saint-Germain and now Manchester United. He needs to find the right club.

“I think he’s a top player. I think he’s a top central midfielder. I think he can cover the pitch well. He can cover spaces. He can defend well. He can play, start the options. But he needs to find the team.

“He needs to find, I would say, the identity of a club to be able to play every week because he even lost his main position at the national team.

“In the national team, everybody was playing and was thinking Ugarte, [Rodrigo] Bentancur, [Fede] Valverde. And then the national team is playing with two and a number 10 off the front.

“And that’s why he’s not playing. So, yes, it’s a big summer for Ugarte and I hope he makes a good decision for him and for his family.”