Man Utd Slammed for €50M Signing of Former PSG Star to Bolster Midfield | OneFootball

Manchester United are facing an early crisis at the start of the 2024-25 season, and all eyes are on manager Erik ten Hag, who is being criticized for his transfer decisions from this past summer.

One of the transfers that the Red Devils made this summer was landing Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain.

This past summer, the Parisians sold Ugarte to Manchester United for a reported €50 million, with another €10 million possible in add-ons and a 10 percent sell-on clause. However, the midfielder’s transition has been challenging.

Marco van Basten commented on Ugarte’s performances early into his tenure at Old Trafford, and so far, the remarks have been unkind to the former PSG standout.

“How could Erik ten Hag decide to spend €50 million on Ugarte? It’s really strange,” van Basten said (h/t Foot01). “I only needed two matches to see that he isn’t even worth 25 percent of that amount.”

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Last month, football journalist Andy Mitten pointed out that fans should give the Uruguayan some time to adjust and find his rhythm, as it’s unrealistic to expect him to hit the ground running right away.

“He’s only just arrived, and I think he should be given time,” Mitten said on talkSPORT. “He’s moving to play in another country…What are some people expecting? The new Roy Keane just to come in and start smashing it.

“Some of Manchester United’s greatest players, people who’ve become world-class players, have needed time to settle in. And I don’t think he’s actually done particularly badly. He’s just not been the new Zidane, which he was never going to be. Players need time to settle. It’s a very tough league to play in.”