MUTV pundits hail ‘immense’ Red who achieved something no other United players have since data collection began

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·11 novembre 2024

MUTV pundits hail ‘immense’ Red who achieved something no other United players have since data collection began

While Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho and even Ruud van Nistelrooy will understandably steal the headlines this morning, it’s worth shining a light on the Manchester United stars who quietly did their bit to make yesterday’s 3-0 win happen.

It felt out of the ordinary to see the Reds sealing all three points so comfortably – even with the opposition being a recently promoted side.

Vidéos OneFootball

The sheer openness of the campaign thus far has set Ruben Amorim up perfectly to try and make something of his maiden term. Most fans had largely accepted that such a turbulent start rendered Champions League qualification unattainable, but with United now only four points away from Arsenal in fourth, who knows how the situation could look when the new head coach gets to grips with the Premier League?

Amorim may have to wait some time until he’s able to have any of his own chosen signings at his disposal, but that’s not to say he hasn’t got some serious quality to work with for the foreseeable future.

One player who’s almost certain to retain a starting role is Manuel Ugarte. He made 85 appearances under Amorim in Lisbon before his move to Paris Saint-Germain last year and has more recently begun developing a formidable partnership with Casemiro at the heart of United’s midfield.

Tenacious Ugarte shone in win over foxes

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

After Sunday’s victory over the Foxes, it was confirmed that Ugarte made a total of eight tackles across his 90 minutes on the turf – no United player has won more in a single league game since data collection records began, per StatmanDave.

As such, it’s no surprise that the 23-year-old was on the receiving end of some stellar praise from the MUTV pundits when they were analysing the game’s affairs.

Danny Webber raved: “He played really well under Ruben [Amorim] at Sporting, hence why got his move to PSG. So the fact that he’s now been here a couple of months [has] enabled him to get a run of games. Because when he first came in, having not played in all of PSG’s pre-season games, you could see that he was a bit off the pace, and the Premier League’s a different level again.

“So he’s now got those games in, and he’s starting to show what he’s about. Getting to tackles with immense intensity, his tenacity when he’s gonna go and close people down.

“And then there were moments of real quality where the ball’s falling to him, and he’s turned out of a situation and showed real calmness.”

He continued: “Him and Casemiro, I said to Wes [Brown] in the game – I said them two sat in front of the back four, it’s horrible to play against. And first and foremost, that’s what you’ve got to be.”