Manchester United interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy says he is ‘convinced’ summer signing Manuel Ugarte will prove to be a ‘great player’ for the club under the guidance of Ruben Amorim.
Ugarte arrived at Old Trafford with weighty expectations on his shoulders following a high-profile £42million move from Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain in August.
But the 23-year-old defensive midfielder has so far flattered to deceive in a United shirt, making just one Premier League start ahead of the Red Devils’ clash with Chelsea this weekend.
However, Ugarte will be encouraged by the impending arrival of Amorim, with the pair having worked together at Sporting for two seasons.
Ugarte completed 90 minutes for only the third time since his summer switch on Wednesday night and Van Nistelrooy liked what he saw as United overcame Leicester to book their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
‘I’m convinced Manuel will be a great player for United,’ Van Nistelrooy told reporters ahead of United’s heavyweight meeting with Chelsea.
‘I think yesterday he had a very good performance, against Fenerbahce he had a good performance.
‘Getting players in an early conclusion, players that are here for two or three months, you should be careful with that I think.
‘It’s a great signing, very good player, professional, he has very specific qualities in midfield, gets in between players, can recover a lot of balls for us to get us in attacking positions.
‘Also, on the ball, very decent so I think he will be a very good player for this club.’
Van Nistelrooy believes United will need to rely heavily on Ugarte in their coming games, with Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount both missing through injury and options ‘thin’ in midfield.
‘The recruitment is not part of the assistant manager, but I can comment on working with Manuel on a daily basis,’ Van Nistelrooy replied when asked whether he played a role in Ugarte’s arrival at the Theatre of Dreams.
‘He’s adjusting, he wants to adjust, he wants to be part of this club, do well and he’s very motivated to do so.
‘He’s getting better every time, the performance yesterday was good and he can build on that. We are very thin in midfield, the coming games, we’re going to definitely need him and I think he’ll do well in the coming games.’
Van Nistelrooy feels similarly about Joshua Zirkzee, United’s £36.5m signing from Bologna, despite the Dutchman failing to score since his dramatic debut goal against Fulham way back in mid-August.
‘Josh is similar to Manuel Ugarte’s situation. Josh came in, he’s a young player with a lot of potential,’ Van Nistelrooy said of his fellow countryman.
‘He’s a typical number nine in the sense of his hold-up play is very good, he’s very strong in the combination play, he’s a different type than Rasmus [Hojlund].
‘Rasmus is more of a nine that plays higher up on the pitch, getting in the back of defenders and Josh is more the one coming to the ball and getting the team playing.
‘The Crystal Palace game, he was excellent, it was one of his best performances and showed his potential.
‘Another one with a lot of talent. A good age, a lot of potential to develop, look after, give him time, he will get better and better and better, and I think also will be a very good player for this club.’
United picked up just three league wins before Erik ten Hag’s was relieved of his duties earlier this week and the club find themselves languishing down in 13th place in the division, just six points above the drop zone.
It has been a different story altogether at Chelsea this season, with Enzo Maresca able to lift his side into the top four with victory at Old Trafford on Sunday.
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