Manchester United’s new £50million signing, Manuel Ugarte, is no stranger to the intense scrutiny that comes with playing for a top-tier club. Having been discarded by Paris Saint-Germain barely a year after signing, Ugarte faces a daunting task to prove himself at Old Trafford.

Ugarte is not the first player to be chewed up and spat out by the PSG machine, and he won’t be the last. The likes of Mauro Icardi, Goncalo Guedes, Jese Rodriguez, Julian Draxler, and Grzegorz Krychowiak all arrived at the French capital with great fanfare, only to fail to deliver.

PSG coach Luis Enrique has made his call on Ugarte, and now the Uruguayan midfielder must prove himself at one of the most demanding clubs in the world. The spotlight will be intense, and Ugarte’s reaction to his rejection in Paris will determine whether he sinks or swims at United.

With the exception of Real Madrid and Barcelona, no football club generates as much attention, discussion, and debate as Manchester United. Ugarte is just one dodgy debut away from being written off as a waste of money by the more zealous members of the United online community.

The good news is that Ugarte has the pedigree. Marcelo Bielsa rates him, and he was a key member of the Uruguay side that thrilled at this summer’s Copa America.

Life at PSG does not define every player, either. For every Icardi or Jese, there is a Christopher Nkunku or Kingsley Coman. Both Nkunku and Coman were academy players, but neither was backed by PSG, and both flourished elsewhere, with Coman even scoring the winner against his old club for Bayern Munich in the 2020 Champions League Final.

Strengths

Ugarte is a simple enough player to assess. He’s a ball winner. He’ll fight like a lion to regain possession and when he does, he’ll usually play a simple pass to the nearest teammate.

Casemiro (left) turns 33 in February, so Ugarte could be the perfect heir to let Kobbie Mainoo (centre) flourish further forward

With Casemiro turning 33 in February, Ugarte could be the perfect heir to the Brazilian and give Kobbie Mainoo more freedom to operate closer to the opponents’ goal.

This isn’t a United panic buy, either: the club were very interested in Ugarte a year ago after his outstanding campaign with Portuguese giants Sporting Club, only for the player to choose Paris instead.

Back then, the feeling was that Ugarte was reluctant to move to England to be Casemiro’s deputy. That shouldn’t be a problem now, as Ugarte is surely being signed to be in Ten Hag’s first-choice XI.

Weaknesses

The problem with Ugarte is that his best asset can also become a flaw. Against most teams, his reliable, if limited, style is more than enough. Against the best, however, there are questions about it.

Ugarte has been compared with Claude Makelele, who anchored midfield brilliantly for Chelsea, France, and Real Madrid, but football has changed since then. At the elite level, holding midfielders now need to be more than mere destroyers.

The prototype for the modern No 6 is Sergio Busquets. Not only was the former Barcelona and Spain player a brilliant retriever of possession, he was also a master of moving his team along again when he had regained it.

Ugarte is a key member of Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay side who thrilled at the Copa America. He’s used to handling pressure, having made his debut at just 15 for Fenix in his homeland and at 19, he moved to Portuguese club Famalicao – relocating nearly 6,000 miles from home while still a teenager.

If he is used correctly, Ugarte is the type of player who can help United push closer to the top of the Premier League again. Whether he is the man to go toe to toe with Rodri and prevail is another matter entirely.