Former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt firmly believes that Manuel Ugarte isn’t good enough to hold a starting role at the club.

Many fans and pundits would argue that the club’s recruitment has improved since INEOS’ partial takeover. Sir Jm Ratcliffe acquired a minority stake at the club in 2024, and his group took control of the sporting department as part of their agreement with United’s majority owners, the Glazer family.

Since then, the Red Devils have made some impressive additions to their ranks.

In the summer of 2024, they brought in the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Leny Yoro, while last summer witnessed a major attacking revamp that culminated with the launch of a new trident in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko, while Senne Lammens replaced the much-maligned Andre Onana between the posts.

However, one particular INEOS signing has failed to inspire since his arrival at Carrington.

Nicky Butt has no hope of a Manuel Ugarte improvement

When Ruben Amorim was appointed Man Utd head coach in November 2024, many believed that Ugarte was going to be the biggest beneficiary, having worked so well with the 40-year-old during their time together at Sporting Club.

The Uruguayan’s exploits in Lisbon earned him a big-profile move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2023, before joining the Reds a year later on a £42 million deal.

However, Ugarte has constantly been one of Man Utd’s most underwhelming performers. He even ended up losing his starting berth to an ageing Casemiro, who found much more success under Amorim’s tutelage.

(Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

With a new interim manager expected to arrive at Carrington to replace the Portuguese until the end of the season, the 24-year-old will have the opportunity to start anew.

However, Butt feels that the verdict is already out on Ugarte, who will never be good enough to play for the Premier League giants.

“Ugarte is not a Manchester United midfielder in a million years. Not in a million years he’s a Man United midfielder,” reiterated the former England international during The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast via Metro.

“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.”

Why Ugarte will get significant playing time at Man United until the end of the season

Despite his unconvincing displays, Ugarte has been a regular feature over the past weeks due to Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo’s injuries.

While the duo have recently returned from injury, this coincided with a managerial change that prompted a switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Man Utd’s caretaker Darren Fletcher brought Fernandes back to his original attacking-midfielder role, which allowed the Uruguayan to cling onto his place in the lineup alongside Casemiro in the double pivot.

Ugarte’s stats by club Appearance Goals  Assists Sporting CP 85 1 3 Manchester United 60 2 6 CA Fenix 57 2 1 Paris Saint-Germain 37 0 3 FC Famalicao 21 1 2

If United’s new interim manager (whoever that may be) were to adopt a similar approach, the fans might have to put up with Ugarte’s presence in the lineup due to the lack of options, even though a double pivot of Casemiro and Mainoo is completely plausible.

It should be noted that Ugarte has been linked with the likes of Galatasaray and Ajax in recent days, but a mid-season departure remains unlikely, as Man Utd are already operating with a thin midfield.

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