Substitution for Casemiro.

They have been trying to persuade Barça for a long time

Finding a defensive midfielder is a common problem for Manchester United, with the club looking for a player for the position since Erik ten Hag was appointed. Casemiro was signed in the summer of 2022, but the Red Devils really wanted Frenkie de Jong. The Dutchman blossomed under Eric, so the motivation was clear. But then the Catalans rejected the English.

At the same time, the mentor Manchester United still highly values ​​the talent of the midfielder, so even two years later the Mancunians were ready to return to his candidacy. Barça have also become more accommodating. The clouds continue to gather; due to financial problems, Dani Olmo has already missed the second match – only now have the “blue garnets” found a loophole in the La Liga regulations to register a new arrival. To continue to strengthen, sales are needed, and big ones.

Now Barça is ready to consider offers for the sale of the defensive midfielder – they want to get 60 million euros for him. The only problem is that Manchester United now offers less. If two years ago Manchester United he was ready to pay 80 million euros, but now he is only offering 46. The Red Devils are scared by the player’s high salary: this season he should earn around 29 million.

Negotiations with PSG progress has been difficult

It also took a long time to convince Paris Saint-Germain to sell Ugarte. The Mancunians approached the Parisians in June: the great Frenchman rejected the first offer. However, the negotiations did not conclude PSG was open to offers and coach Luis Enrique is not counting on Manuel.

The Mancunians were not ready to meet the Parisians’ demands: they had spent 60 million euros for the midfielder a year earlier, but now they wanted 70. By August, the story had not moved from a deadlock. United tried to find an alternative: they offered a loan with an option to buy and considered the possibility of exchanging players (PSG Bruno Fernandes was interested, then there were reports of the potential move of Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford).

In any case, the parties remained in contact. In addition to Manuel, the English giant’s list of candidates included Sofyan Amrabat and Sander Berge, but only the Uruguayan showed a high level at the top club. Now the “red devils” have accepted the conditions of the Parisians. The amount of compensation will be 60 million euros, 50 of which plus another 10 in the form of bonuses.

Casemiro started well, but needs rejuvenation

There is an objective need for renewal in the support zone. In his first season at United, ten Hag used Eriksen and Casemiro, sometimes including McTominay in the starting lineup. But the first two are older artists and Scott is only good as a joker – at the same time he has no passing culture and is unreliable as a leader.

The appearance of Kobby Mainu has partially eliminated the problem of finding a defender: the 19-year-old footballer is already starting regularly and can handle the load nuclear submarine. The young player has excellent vision of the pitch, so he doesn’t get lost under pressure and is able to move the ball quickly. With him, Eriksen has simply become a reserve player who can actually come on as a substitute. But with Casemiro the question remains. The Brazilian is unstable and takes a long time to get back into shape, especially after injuries. And then his aggressive style of play turns into failures for others.

He is good in the first league games: he keeps up with his teammates, maintaining the accuracy of passes and actively participating in the development of attacks. Aggressive attacks in such a scenario are advantageous. On the other hand, such a start in no way belies his instability: a decline may occur later. So while the midfielder shows his advantage, it is better to start selling him. In addition, the Mancunians found an alternative for Casemiro.

Ugarte provides volume, but lacks transient culture

It is important to understand the profile of the Uruguayan midfielder. Luis Enrique himself did not just abandon the midfielder after a year of work. The fact is that the Spanish coach puts ball possession first. It is important for his teams to be able to handle the ball and make passes at any distance: the players must be well equipped technically. Manuel does not fit this description: he has difficulty with targeted passes. In general, it is surprising that, despite the big problems with technology, he managed to reach the highest level, but this is where his advantages manifest themselves.

The Uruguayan is very efficient: he is able to take on a huge volume, cover the entire support zone by himself thanks to his speed and sharpness. This set of characteristics makes Ugarte similar to Casemiro, so the replacement should be painless. However, the “chained dog” would be extremely useful for the “Red Devils” – if the player acts competently in this role.

On the other hand, there are concerns about the reliability of the defense: there are too many aggressive players in the team. Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt have the same profile. The former always plays in the starting role, the latter was initially taken as the leader of the defense: Harry Maguire is simply good. But these are central defenders. Add to them the aggressive Casemiro and Ugarte and the result will be even more explosive. Varane played with Martinez for a reason. Rafael expertly secured the free zones that formed after the Argentine’s attacks. A player of the same type is Leni Yoro. But he still has to recover from his injury and adapt to the new level.