Man Utd Would Secure ‘Young Version of Javier Mascherano’ from PSG, Expert Says | OneFootball

Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are working toward a solution regarding the transfer of Manuel Ugarte. Should the Red Devils finally secure the Uruguayan, one expert believes he’d be a perfect fit for manager Erik ten Hag.

On Wednesday, Le Parisien’s Benjamin Quarez and Marc Mechenoua reported that the reigning Ligue 1 champions and Manchester United are close to reaching an agreement to sign Ugarte for about €60 million.

While some details remain to be finalized, all parties involved are confident the deal will be completed before the transfer window closes, per the French outlet.

Should the Premier League side close out this transfer and secure the 23-year-old before the summer transfer window closes, South American football expert Tim Vickery believes the player has the qualities that resemble a former Argentine standout.

“I do [think Ugarte is a good fit for Manchester United], yeah, especially after watching United on Friday, when they were so open again to the full-on counter-attack,” Vickery said Wednesday on talkSPORT. “[United were] lucky not to concede to that Fulham counter-attack.

“That’s the hole that he’ll be expected to plug. Defensive midfielder screening the midfield, also getting moves going with crisp passes. He does remind me a lot of a young version of Javier Mascherano, and I think this is a good fit.

“This whole transfer window has been a game of poker between United and Paris Saint-Germain, but it would seem to be moving in the direction of Ugarte moving to United and trying to plug that hole.”

Ugarte played 37 total games for the Ligue 1 champions last season, contributing three assists. The former Sporting Lisbon star started the campaign strongly but saw his playing time decrease in the second half, as he was used more as a rotational player than a regular starter.