Erik ten Hag is happy with Manuel Ugarte. (Images from Sky Sports)
Man United drew 1-1 with Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday night and one man who impressed Erik ten Hag during the clash was summer signing Manuel Ugarte.
The Dutch manager was on the lookout for a new central midfielder during the last transfer window and had identified the Uruguayan as his top target.
Man United were set to successfully sign the 23-year-old towards the end of the window as part of a €60m deal with Paris Saint-Germain, but the midfielder has taken a while to settle in the Premier League .
A disappointing display in United’s 3-0 defeat Tottenham It saw Ugarte come under scrutiny and since then he has struggled to get regular minutes in the team, only playing 90 minutes twice, one of them against Fenerbahce on Thursday night.
The Uruguayan international was brilliant in Turkey as he won the ball back in the build-up to the Red Devils’ goal and later in the half, produced a block to save Dusan Tadic’s goal.
Erik ten Hag was very impressed with the performance of his new signing and speaking to the press, it seems the Man United boss is ready to play him from the start more often.
Erik ten Hag believes Manuel Ugarte has taken a “step forward” at Man United
Speaking to the press after the Fenerbahce clash, Ten Hag was full of praise for Ugarte and admitted his performance was something to build on.
“I think today is a step forward, so I’m very satisfied with his performance, and from here he has to continue,” said the Dutch coach. Sky Sports. “You have to integrate it. It came late in the window and then we had to integrate it during competitions, and that takes time.
“We have to be patient but, as you can see, if the quality in this position is not adequate, it is very difficult for a team to control games, and then I am not even talking about dominating games.
“So this (number 6) needs someone who brings quality all the time, and now we have to integrate him into this team.
“Like I said, I’m pleased with his performance today and it can go from there.”
