By Alex Al-Kazzaz
The 2024 English Premier League summer transfer window has closed. Manchester United made several moves during the transfer period and two more a few hours before the deadline: completing a £25 million move to send midfielder Scott McTominay to Italian club Napoli and the £51 million signing of midfielder Manuel Ugarte from French club Paris Saint-Germain. In addition, the club has loaned Forward Jadon Sancho to Chelsea.
McTominay spent 22 years with Manchester United. A graduate of the club's youth academy, he debuted for the club at the senior level in 2017. In 178 appearances, he scored 19 goals in Premier League play and helped the club win the FA Cup and EFL Cup. In addition, he's a two-time FA Cup runner-up, as well as a Europe League runner-up. Overall, he made over 250 appearances for his club.
Although McTominay has always been a respectable talent, he struggled to solidify himself as a reliable force on the squad. His career would roller-coast back and forth between being effective and ineffective. In other words, it was never clear whether he would have a good game or not, and if he had one game that went well, his ability to stay hot was always questioned and mostly doubted. Frankly, he had more than his fair share of disappointing moments. Regardless, he always had the trust and support of his teammates.
Despite starting more than 20 Ligue 1 games last season for PSG, Ugarte did not solidify himself for the club. When Les Parisiens paid €70 million to sign Joao Neves from Portuguese club Benfica, it was only a matter of time before PSG explored options to sell Ugarte for a reasonable amount. PSG paid €60 million to sign Ugarte from Sporting CP in 2023. Despite high hopes for Ugarte to succeed in the French capital, things didn't work out. It's never been explained why things didn't work out for Ugarge in Paris.
Last season, he made a total of 37 appearances for PSG. It's unclear why his stint in Paris lasted just one season, but the 23-year-old Uruguayan midfielder has a chance to shine in a league far more competitive and effective than Ligue 1. If he can solidify himself with Manchester United, he can make an impact in England for many years to come. He could even attract the attention of Real Madrid three to four years from now. Ugarte's contract with Manchester United is through 2029.
Ugarte is a remarkable defensive midfielder with unique abilities in tackling and taking ball possession. With his skills, he can set the tone for Manchester United's midfield and increase its defensive strength, which has been problematic for a long time. With his ability to take ball possession away from opposing teams, he can help the attack be more confident and focused. A midfielder of his caliber ought to motivate his teammates to be more alert on the pitch and possibly increase some confidence.
Manchester United will take on Liverpool this weekend. Ugarte won't take part and likely won't begin his full training with the club until next week. He underwent and passed his medical earlier this week. Everything had been in place throughout the week, and all that was left was for Ugarte to sign the contract. The contract has been signed. He could make his debut on September 14th against Southampton, though he'll more than likely come in as a substitute. Ugarte's first start could be in Manchester United's Third round EFL Cup match on September 17th against Barnsley.
It's not been a good start for Manchester United in their 2024-25 Premier League campaign. They started with an unconvincing 1-0 win over Fulham, only to lose 2-1 to Brighton last week. The team's already dealing with numerous injuries, and the inconsistency has already taken effect and it's badly impacted the team's playing abilities.
(Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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