Ruud van Nistelrooy has done a good job as Manchester United’s interim manager so far. Although the football has not been the most inspiring, he is getting results on the board, something Erik ten Hag simply failed to do for many months across the past two seasons.
So far, he has two wins and a draw, beating Leicester City in the Carabao Cup and Greek side PAOK in the Europa League, and drawing against Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea. It has been a very respectable stint at the helm for the Red Devils legend.
The Dutchman has managed to get some players firing, amid the impending arrival of Ruben Amorim, with young winger Amad the star of the show against PAOK. However, a few players have continued to struggle, including Manuel Ugarte, who has had a tough start to life at United.
Ugarte’s United career
It was an expensive deal when the 13-time Premier League champions brought Uruguay international Ugarte to the club in the summer. They paid former club Paris Saint-Germain £42m up front, with the deal potentially rising as high as £50.5m.
It has certainly not been an easy start to the season for the 23-year-old. He has played just ten times so far for the Red Devils and struggled to get any kind of chance under former boss Ten Hag. In total, the midfielder has played 587 minutes across all competitions and has been an unused substitute three times.
It is certainly an odd start to life in that famous Red shirt for the Uruguayan. His stats on Sofascore from the Premier League so far show just how disappointing Ugarte has been. In five games, which included two starts, he has won just 1.8 tackles and 2.8 ground duels per game.
Stat (per game)
Number
Starts
2
Passes completed
14.8
Pass accuracy
88%
Ball recoveries
2.6
Tackles won
1.8
Ground duels won
2.8
Ground duel success rate
45%
So far, it remains up in the air as to whether Ugarte was a good signing for the Red Devils. He has not imposed himself as of yet, and it feels like there is a lot to be desired with the 23-year-old still.
With that in mind, Van Nistelrooy could decide to shake things up in his final interim game and drop the midfielder from the starting lineup. To replace Ugarte, the Dutchman could turn to someone else who has had a tough time of things at Old Trafford so far.
The Man Utd star who could replace Ugarte
The player in question here is Red Devils number seven Mason Mount. The England international has become something of a forgotten man at United and has sadly seen his career at the English giants plagued by injuries.
The 25-year-old midfielder has played just 26 games for the Old Trafford club, despite joining in the summer of 2023. He has had several injuries, including a calf issue last season and a hamstring injury in 2024/25, which has simply hampered his progress.
He has scored just once, a late goal against Brentford last season that was seconds away from being a winner.
Sadly for Mount, it has been a tough season once again. The aforementioned hamstring issue has kept him out for much of this term, and he has managed just six appearances in all competitions, notching up 224 minutes.
However, he got a few minutes under his belt against PAOK on Thursday, as United look to build up his fitness. Van Nistelrooy may well decide to take a gamble and start him against Leicester on Sunday ahead of Ugarte.
Not only would the Chelsea academy graduate bring quality on the ball into the midfield, but he brings great value out of possession.
Described as a “pressing monster” by football statistician Statman Dave, the midfielder is a relentless runner and is quite tenacious in the middle of the park, looking to constantly win the ball back off opponents by harrying them.
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It is for such attributes that it is believed Mount is among those who could enjoy something of a revival under new boss Amorim, with GIVEMESPORT suggesting that there is hope the Englishman – and others – can ‘[profit] from his fresh demands’.
That belief is also unsurprisingly given that the struggling star has previously thrived in a 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 system during his time under Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge, notably operating off the striker in one of those two attacking berths, en route to the Blues’ Champions League triumph in 2021.
It is a shame that Mount has seen his United career tarnished by injuries so far – missing a catalogue of games since 2022 – because he has shown plenty of times in the past for Chelsea just how good he can be, having memorably ended the 2021/22 campaign with 29 goals and assists to his name.
Should he get the start against Leicester, he will be hoping that his injury issues are behind him and he can kickstart his Red Devils career, with the incoming Amorim no doubt set to be keenly observing.
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