[CannibalSpectre]

If we were really interested we would have signed him because he was cheaper. We chose Ugarte because he fit whatever scheme our football brains trust is working towards and so we have to wait to see if they got it right. INEOS mentioned remaking the squad was a multi window process and so I am not sure how we judge the new signings until their overhaul is complete as presumably their roles will change as the right players are signed to work with them. I do think Ugarte is a good player and I have been impressed with him at International level but he is a poor fit for the role he was given this weekend. With that said, I don't think for one second that ETH is the Manager INEOS want and they are going to go ahead with building a squad for the next man at which point hopefully it will all become clear. Sadly, it is the hope that kills you with this club.

It is indeed the hope that kills you. I just don't understand why this club sees progress as a strictly step by step process where success is only expected to be achieved at full completion of the process, however many years it's thought to get there. The overly repeated 'three or X years to challenge' springs to mind and this has been the case with almost every passing manager since Fergie retired

Progress isn't linear, but why can't Ten Hag improve the players he already has and make us more watchable while still building the squad in this multi window overhaul? We live in hope that the coach needs a full starting 11 of his own choosing to finally compete. On the other hand we also expect individual players to come in and immediately provide solutions. The state of our play is getting worse, to the point where it's hard to guage new signings as they walk into chaos and become a part of it. Ronaldo couldnt save us. Varane and Casemiro couldnt save us. Amrabat and Ugarte were blindly touted as solutions to our midfield woes and nothing has changed. It seems too much to ask for even small improvements while the long so called process plays out.

 

[GoodTimes]

A player so good he was named in the Copa America team of the tournament looks shocking under this manager - shocker.

 

[Winrar]

He was poor against Spurs, no question about that. But then so was everyone else bar Onana.

That said, I'm reserving further judgment until we get another manager in and after this season.

 

[Lu Tze]

Without Bruno we should be looking at

Ugarte
Mainoo - Eriksen



Or


Ugarte
Mount - Mainoo​

Certainly Ugarte Mount Mainoo for me. But we need to ditch this idea of the 1 DM feeding two AMs that are basically level with the opponent CBs.

It never works and means when we get pressured and invariably turn the ball over, we're left totally overloaded at the back. Mount and Mainoo need to play as very conventional CMs with one of them going forward at a time to try to create an overload and the other forming a lock to protect from counters with Ugarte.

 

[Borussia Teeth]

Seems to be of the Herrera/Fred mould. I liked both of them but they needed upgrading. Hopefully Ugarte doesn't also need upgrading

 

[Rake]

I think he was the worst player on the pitch and that is saying something. Looked like a random person from the street was accidentally made to play a professional game of football.

Not writing him off but many of his actions were simply unexplainable.

 

[meninred]

I only saw a 5min highlights and waiting for your comments on Ugarte. It seems disappointing but it is his second game from start was it ? He may needs time to adjust. We pray he is not another Fred or Djemba Djemba..etc.
One thing i noticed was that the players we brought this summer were all bench players at their clubs.

 

[Melville Red]

I only saw a 5min highlights and waiting for your comments on Ugarte. It seems disappointing but it is his second game from start was it ? He may needs time to adjust. We pray he is not another Fred or Djemba Djemba..etc.
One thing i noticed was that the players we brought this summer were all bench players at their clubs.

Now that is a great point. If they were not quite good enough to start for them, then why are they deemed good enough for United?

 

[Mavs]

I only saw a 5min highlights and waiting for your comments on Ugarte. It seems disappointing but it is his second game from start was it ? He may needs time to adjust. We pray he is not another Fred or Djemba Djemba..etc.
One thing i noticed was that the players we brought this summer were all bench players at their clubs.

Thats a good point regarding being bench players, at least for Ugarte he made 25/34 appearances in the league last season and played only 16 full matches. In the CL he made only 2 apperances outside of the group stages for a total of 23 minutes. Doesn't mean that he can't be valuable for us though even just as a future squad player.

The new signings have been a mixed bag, and in the Totteham game Ugarte was quite poor. Starting that game may have been a bit too early for him, with the pace and pressure of Spurs. Needs more time to get up to speed and match fit, form partnerships and understanding with players around him, etc. Too soon to tell though but I'm certainly lowering my expectations for him for this season at least.

 

[Bluelion7]

Now that is a great point. If they were not quite good enough to start for them, then why are they deemed good enough for United?

Cole Palmer was a bench option for City

Brahim is primarily a bench guy for Madrid; would take in a heartbeat

It may mean something, it may not. Need to be able to trust your evaluators and go after the targets you believe in.

 

[Litch]

We’ve spent over £100 million on midfielders since selling Fred. And he was better than all of them.

Agree.

 

[Pexbo]

Can’t remember a player being written off quicker. No time to adjust to the league, no time to adjust to his team mates, no time to settle into the club. Less than 200 minutes and his fate already decided.

 

[Remember the geese]

One thing i noticed was that the players we brought this summer were all bench players at their clubs.

Not true at all.

 

[Grand Vizier]

Our best midfield this season has been Mainoo--Eriksen.

Mainoo--Ugarte, just lacks any sort of passing volume, the play just bypasses them. Folks were telling me over the summer that Martinez and MDL/Mazroui would be enough to play out from the back, but your playing out from the press is a as good as the weakest link. With Ugarte at #6, you pass all the responsibility of playing through the lines to the CB/FBs, which is not a good idea.

This is why I thought a playmaking #6/#8 would have been a much bigger priority, rather than a pure destroyer #6.

Its a profile we are lacking, and I just dont understand how you look at a Mainoo-Bruno midfield, and think what we need is a pure DM, and not someone who can control games.

And this is based on them playing 70 minutes together? Come on, mate..

 

[Grand Vizier]

3 games is more than enough to judge his limitations on the ball because he has already shown that his entire career before coming here

That he's been poor defensively as well might just be a case of settling in but even if that improves, is that enough?

We need midfielders good on the ball and Ugarte is not that. Not 3 games in or 100 games

There is a middle ground between being a poor passer and a great passer, you know. Being a defensive midfielder and never having below 90% kind of implies you're not a poor passer. Not a particularly progressive passer by any means, but he doesn't have to be, the same way Palhinha doesn't. Ten Hag can't set up a midfield, and him playing next to players that aren't good passers themselves is setting us up for failure.

 

[Zed is not dead]

Can’t remember a player being written off quicker. No time to adjust to the league, no time to adjust to his team mates, no time to settle into the club. Less than 200 minutes and his fate already decided.

There were lots of reservations about him to begin with.

I was one of the skeptics but I’m still willing to wait some time before giving a final judgement.
However what I saw so far doesn’t make me confident at all

 

[RedRocket9908]

I think he was the worst player on the pitch and that is saying something. Looked like a random person from the street was accidentally made to play a professional game of football.

Not writing him off but many of his actions were simply unexplainable.

I think he needs to be given more time to settle in to the side and get used to his teammates, it cant be easy playing in a new team with new teammates youve never played with especially when most of the team have no idea what on earth their manager is trying to do or wants them to do.

 

[Blood Mage]

He obviously has limitations as a player but we've paid big money for him and we have to find a way to make him work, simple as that. He was great at Sporting, maybe reuniting him with Anorim is the answer?

 

[Brophs]

Lads, he’s been here for less time than it takes Antony to do a lap of the pitch. Calm down.

 

[lex talionis]

So far, not so good. Ugarte nay need 5-6 months to get used to the intensity of the PL.

I was at the Barcelona-Young Boys match last night and the intensity of the play was well below a typical PL match.

 

[cletus7]

I think he needs to be given more time to settle in to the side and get used to his teammates, it cant be easy playing in a new team with new teammates youve never played with especially when most of the team have no idea what on earth their manager is trying to do or wants them to do.

Well, some players just look the part straight away so it’s a warning sign when they cost as much as him and look off it. What I can’t understand is why he’s playing. Shouldn’t get starts until he’s showing signs of being ready. I don’t understand why ETH just throws new signings in regardless. I remember Tiago being made ti wait at L’pool. Midfields in a new league take some working out.. we’ve got plenty of cover so why is ETH so amateurish?

 

[Cassidy]

Well, some players just look the part straight away so it’s a warning sign when they cost as much as him and look off it. What I can’t understand is why he’s playing. Shouldn’t get starts until he’s showing signs of being ready. I don’t understand why ETH just throws new signings in regardless. I remember Tiago being made ti wait at L’pool. Midfields in a new league take some working out.. we’ve got plenty of cover so why is ETH so amateurish?

Didn’t ETH say he may need weeks or months to settle and be ready and the fan base threw a fit?

 

[The holy trinity 68]

We’ve spent over £100 million on midfielders since selling Fred. And he was better than all of them.

Fred was shit, lets not pretend otherwise.

 

[Orion.]

Reminded me of a cross between Oliver Skipp and the contents of a skip

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Reminded me of a cross between Oliver Skipp and the contents of a skip

You waited 48 hours to make that joke?

 

[Berbaclass]

Seems incredibly obvious that ETH didn't want him

 

[Andycoleno9]

Fred was shit, lets not pretend otherwise.

Still better than this waste of money.

 

[The holy trinity 68]

Still better than this waste of money.

He isn't though. He was at United 5 years and it took him 4 to actually be of any use and then that wasn't much. Ugarte has started 1 league game for the club.

 

[Andycoleno9]

He isn't though. He was at United 5 years and it took him 4 to actually be of any use and then that wasn't much. Ugarte has started 1 league game for the club.

I have a feeling that we (fans in general) have same conversation every year. For some players it was obvious from day one that they have huge flaws in their game which will hold us back in future. It was obvious with Maguire, AWB, Onana, James etc...
Ugarte's technique and creativity is just too limited for a club who want to dominate games. Casemiro looks like a Modric compared to Ugarte.

 

[Erics_Collar]

Only took a month for him to integrate into the midfield "which inconsistent shit starts alongside Mainoo this week" mire. Drew the short straw again today.

 

[ShinjiNinja26]

Only been here 5 minutes and he’s took up a seat on the bench. Another £50m flushed down the pan? Hopefully it’s a Ten Hag issue and the next manager can get a better tune out the guy.

 

[RonaldoVII]

Only been here 5 minutes and he’s took up a seat on the bench. Another £50m flushed down the pan? Hopefully it’s a Ten Hag issue and the next manager can get a better tune out the guy.

Give him chance he’s still getting up to fitness

 

[ThanksBoss26]

Only been here 5 minutes and he’s took up a seat on the bench. Another £50m flushed down the pan? Hopefully it’s a Ten Hag issue and the next manager can get a better tune out the guy.

Time will tell which it is of course but I think it'd be a struggle for most with the way he sets us up.

 

[ayushreddevil9]

Fans are so brutal. Give him a run of games atleast before branding him shite

 

[Adamsk7]

Absolutely terrible transfer strategy. You CANNOT spend £50m on a player and not know they are going to at least spend some time as a starter. Maybe City can but we can’t.
I can accept buying a player, they getting some chances and it not working out. That can happen with any transfer but this is ridiculous

 

[Lentwood]

Manuel Ugarte isn't good enough to play as a one-man midfield, and therefore my conclusion is he's either terrible....or we should consider not playing a one-man midfield.

 

[sullydnl]

He's the player ETH has been the most vocal about needing time to adapt, and he's looked like a player who needs time to adapt. Just have to give him that time.

In that context, I would have been surprised if he started today. Unlike De Ligt say, who has been treated more like a player who should be stepping in to the team straight away.

 

[Ayoba]

Have we written him off already then?

 

[Red Rash]

Manuel Ugarte isn't good enough to play as a one-man midfield, and therefore my conclusion is he's either terrible....or we should consider not playing a one-man midfield.

Neither is Casemiro, neither is Mainoo. It's like Ten Hag can't see the obvious flaws in his tactics.

 

[Dannn411]

Manuel Ugarte isn't good enough to play as a one-man midfield, and therefore my conclusion is he's either terrible....or we should consider not playing a one-man midfield.

Show me any midfielder on the planet who successfully plays in a one man midfield.