Rio Ferdinand says Manchester United’s new interim head coach, Michael Carrick, must improve Manuel Ugarte, who has ‘disappointed’ since he arrived at Old Trafford.
United signed the Uruguay international from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2024, but he has underwhelmed since that £50million move.
Ugarte played under Ruben Amorim for Sporting CP, and it was hoped that the combative central midfielder would bring some much-needed bite to the heart of United’s midfield.
However, the 24-year-old has failed to live up to those expectations, with former United boss Amorim even singling out Ugarte as a player who had ‘struggled’ this season.
The arrival of Carrick as the Red Devils’ new interim boss offers a new opportunity for Ugarte in a potentially more expansive and progressive system.
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And Ferdinand thinks the midfielder needs to make up for lost time after his slow start to life at the club.
‘I’ve got to be honest, I have been disappointed with Ugarte,’ the former United centre-back said on Rio Ferdinand Presents.
‘He is one player when he came in everybody said he’s got legs, he can tackle, he can move. The description I was getting was he was the right type of player we needed.
‘It just hasn’t materialised, it hasn’t come to the fore. I haven’t seen the player that everybody was talking about before in terms of being able to get up against people quickly and tackle.
‘That’s meant to be a big part of his game, being aggressive.
‘He hasn’t put a marker down in a game that’s made me think “this guy could be one of our midfield dogs or controllers who is really going to get things going in the midfield”. He hasn’t got anywhere near that.’
Ferdinand continued: ‘Can Michael Carrick get any more out of him? That is going to be a big challenge for Michael Carrick: Can he get any more out of these players as individuals to make the team better?
‘He’s got to get both of those bits better, the team better and the individual players playing to a high level and get so much more out of them.
‘How he goes about that will be the acid test because far too often we see players playing below par or they’re just giving us little moments here or there.’
Ugarte has been linked with an exit over the January transfer window, with Turkish side Galatasaray reportedly interested in a potential deal.
And former United midfielder Nicky Butt believes the club should cut their losses and let the Uruguayan go.
‘Ugarte is not a Manchester United midfielder in a million years. Not in a million years he’s a Man United midfielder,’ he said.
‘That’s just one example of the recruitment and how they keep getting it wrong. They keep getting it wrong all the time with the players they’re bringing in and that’s a fact.’
United, meanwhile, are reportedly interested in bringing former Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves back to the Premier League in a deal worth £20m.
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