Manuel Ugarte will not be the first player to be chewed up and spat out by the Paris Saint-Germain machine.
Manchester United’s £50million signing joins a list including Mauro Icardi, Goncalo Guedes, Jese Rodriguez, Julian Draxler and Grzegorz Krychowiak who arrived at huge cost but never delivered in the French capital.
PSG coach Luis Enrique has made his call on Ugarte barely a year after he was signed.
How Ugarte reacts to his bruising rejection in Paris will surely determine whether he is able to sink or swim at one of the most demanding clubs in the world.
Because if Ugarte thought PSG brought global scrutiny, he has seen nothing yet. With the exception of Real Madrid and Barcelona, no football club on the planet generates as much attention, discussion and debate as United.
Manuel Ugarte is not be the first – nor likely will he be the last – PSG star to be chewed up and spat out by the French side
PSG boss Luis Enrique has made his mind up on Ugarte scarcely a year after signing for the club
Erik ten Hag will be under pressure despite only being handed a new contract back in July
Ugarte is a dodgy debut away from being written off as a waste of money by the more zealous members of the United online community.
The good news is that he has the pedigree. A basic rule of modern football is that if Marcelo Bielsa rates you, you’re probably a decent player, and Ugarte is a key member of the Uruguay side who thrilled at this summer’s Copa America.
Life at PSG does not define every player, either. For every Icardi or Jese, there is a Christopher Nkunku or Kingsley Coman.
Yes, both were academy players, but neither was backed by PSG and both flourished elsewhere, with Coman even scoring the winner against his old club for Bayern Munich in the 2020 Champions League Final.
It will not certainly be easy for Ugarte to follow their example. United remain a work in progress and even though Erik ten Hag was given a new contract in July, the Dutchman will be under pressure again soon enough if results are poor.
Here Mail Sport takes a look at United’s latest big buy.
Strengths
Ugarte is a simple enough player to assess. He’s a ball winner. He’ll fight like a lion to regain possession and when he does, he’ll usually play a simple pass to the nearest team-mate.
Casemiro (left) turns 33 in February, so Ugarte could be the perfect heir to let Kobbie Mainoo (centre) flourish further forward
