Manuel Ugarte’s total of 98 tackles was the highest by anyone in Ligue 1 last season; and he managed it despite starting only 21 games out of 34, for a team, in Paris Saint-Germain, who spent roughly 66 per cent of the time in possession.
The numbers underline his remarkable ball-winning prowess and they were even higher in his final campaign at previous club Sporting CP, during which the Uruguay international racked up 121 tackles in 31 games, the most by any player in Portugal’s Primeira Liga.
Across the two seasons, there is only one player in Europe’s major leagues who has averaged more tackles per 90 minutes and that is Joao Palhinha, the man Ugarte helped to replace in Sporting’s midfield before earning his £51m move to PSG last summer.
Fast forward a year and Ugarte was in demand again. Manchester United’s midfield was a problem area last season. Erik ten Hag’s side were too easy to play through. Ugarte, nine years younger than the fading Casemiro at 23, could bring qualities they lacked.
Only Joao Palhinha has averaged more tackles per 90 minutes than Manuel Ugarte
Certainly, his defensive work has made an impression to this point in his career.
“He has seven lungs, he never stops,” said Juan Ramon Carrasco, his former manager at Fenix in Uruguay. “He has an extraordinary ability to steal the ball,” said PSG boss Luis Enrique. “He reminds me of N’Golo Kante,” added PSG defender Lucas Hernandez.
The comparison with Kante is a mouth-watering one for Manchester United fans and is lent credence by the fact Hernandez counts the former Chelsea midfielder as a team-mate with France.
Even achieving half as much as him in the Premier League would make Ugarte a worthy investment for United.
There are some parallels. As well as being a prodigious tackler, Ugarte reads the game smartly, anticipating danger with timely interceptions. Like Kante, he also has a formidable engine which allows him to make his presence felt offensively as well as defensively.
Ugarte ranked highly despite only starting 21 Ligue 1 games
“He dominates more than half the pitch,” added Carrasco. Indeed, although a defensive midfielder, Ugarte ranked second in Ligue 1 for possessions won in the final third last season, a statistic which highlights his aggressive and front-footed approach to defending.
At times, he steps close to the mark. A trip to Arsenal in the Europa League with Sporting saw him sent off for a late foul on Bukayo Saka. But that was one of only two red cards across four seasons in Europe. He is mostly savvy enough to stay within limits.
And besides, his performance that night at the Emirates Stadium sticks in the memory for other reasons.
Before the sending off, in the final few minutes of extra-time, Ugarte was key in securing the 1-1 draw which allowed Sporting to progress on penalties. He worked tirelessly off the ball and showed his quality on it, ranking top among all players for both tackles and dribbles.
Ugarte attempts to block a cross by Granit Xhaka for Sporting against Arsenal
That dribbling ability is another alluring aspect of his game.
Ugarte is capable of skipping past opponents, often deep in his own half, to progress the ball up the pitch. During Sporting’s run to the Europa League quarter-finals that year, only two of his team-mates, wingers Pote and Marcus Edwards, completed more take-ons.
Of course, the most pressing issues at United are defensive.
Ten Hag’s side conceded 58 goals in the Premier League last season, the club’s highest-ever total. Only Sheffield United, West Ham and Luton Town allowed more shots on their goal.
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Alejandro Garnacho’s second-half strike against Brighton was ruled out because Joshua Zirkzee touched the ball from an offside position before it hit the back of the net
There is an urgent need for more security in the centre of the pitch, where their opponents found space all too often, and Ugarte could provide it, albeit not necessarily as a lone defensive midfielder.
“Before I arrived at Sporting, I liked to play as a No 6, but now I have got used to playing with another player next to me,” he said in an interview during his time in Lisbon. “I am a better player than I was a year ago,” he added. “I have adapted to different positions.”
The 23-year-old primarily operated as part of a double pivot in Sporting’s midfield, mostly alongside Hidemasa Morita, and it was a similar story last season at Paris-Saint Germain, where he was mostly used alongside either Warren Zaire-Emery or Vitinha.
Ugarte has mostly played as a right-sided midfielder rather than a lone No 6
His presence could help Kobbie Mainoo at United. The youngster was a major success story last season, capping a stunning breakthrough campaign with an outstanding display, and a crucial goal, in the FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
But for every one of those attacking forays, like the one that allowed him to slot in Bruno Fernandes’ pass at Wembley, there was an instance of Mainoo struggling at the other end, with Casemiro, his midfield partner, unable to adequately cover open spaces.
Ugarte will bring greater physical intensity and he can handle the ball too. He is not as adventurous as Casemiro with his passing but he is certainly more efficient, his accuracy rate of around 91 per cent significantly higher than the Brazilian’s 83 per cent.
There is room for improvement when it comes to threading passes through the lines. He only directed 15 per cent of his passes forward last season in Ligue 1, according to Opta. His conservative passing choices were a reported source of frustration to Luis Enrique.
At United, though, there is a need for better ball retention. After all, many of their defensive issues last season stemmed from a lack of control in midfield. Casemiro’s ambitious passing became a contributing factor, given how often it resulted in turnovers.
It is another example of how the tough-tackling Ugarte could help as Ten Hag looks to strike the right balance in the heart of his team.
