Manchester United have put ‘struggling’ £50m midfielder Manuel Ugarte up on the market ahead of the January transfer window, in keeping with reports.
Ugarte has struggled for game time this season and has only began two Premier League matches for United under head coach Ruben Amorim.
United paid French side Paris Saint-Germain an initial fee of £42.2m, which could rise to £50.7m with add-ons, to sign Ugarte in August 2024.
The 24-year-old signed a five-year contract with an option for a 12 months extension, keeping him at Old Trafford until a minimum of the summer of 2029.
But ESPN now reports that United ‘will take heed to offers’ for Ugarte next month, together with Kobbie Mainoo, Joshua Zirkzee and Tyrell Malacia.
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It is known that United could make a move for a key midfield goal if the club’s hierarchy can ‘unlock some funds’ by selling those players.
United are said to be monitoring Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller.
Amorim: Ugarte needs to enhance in training
Speaking last month, United boss Amorim admitted that Ugarte needed to make improvements in training and that the Uruguayan was ‘struggling’.
‘You might be here longer than me and you possibly can sense that plenty of superb players come here and sometimes they struggle,’ Amorim said.
‘He’s struggling in the meanwhile, but it surely is our job to attempt to help our players and again, all the pieces can change.
‘You saw it five weeks ago, the environment was completely different, so I do know that Ugarte is struggling within the moment, and my job is attempting to help him to feel as a player, like I felt when he was a Sporting player, for instance.
‘Nevertheless it is a unique world and he must adapt and he needs to enhance, especially in training.’
Burley: Ugarte is a £50m ‘wet blanket’
In September, former Chelsea and Scotland midfielder Craig Burley branded Ugarte a ‘wet blanket’.
‘Manuel Ugarte is just absolutely nothing,’ he said on ESPN. ‘He’s identical to a wet blanket.
‘Put him in with the youngsters and even the youngsters can be going, “who the hell is that this guy?” Seriously.’
Ugarte has played 55 games for the Red Devils to this point across all competitions.
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