As we know, Manuel Ugarte tor his ACL in Uruguay's defeat to Spain in what turned out to be their final game of the World Cup as that loss meant elimination from the tournament.
The midfielder then suffered this personal blow and will now be out for around 6-9 months.
Regardless of what you think of Ugarte, tearing your ACL is one of the worst injuries any footballer can suffer. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope he returns sooner rather than later.
However, this will majorly impact United's transfer plans as the Uruguayan was key in the club signing a third midfielder.
It's been reported that should United sign Mateus Fernandes, then the third midfielder would have been someone more low-key:
"Numerous other midfield targets under consideration, but if [Mateus] Fernandes gets done, a third signing will depend on the SALE of Manuel Ugarte, and is likely to be more low-key" [TyMarshall_MEN].
With this Ugarte injury though, I believe that the margin for error for this position, has become very slim.
In a way, we can now only sign one more midfielder. United already have Ederson, Kobbie Mainoo is still at the club, and with his injury, Ugarte won't be able to be sold.
With one spot remaining, United CANNOT afford to get this wrong.
Elliot Anderson for so long was number one. Now that he's gone to City, we can't get him. Sandro Tonali might be too expensive for the club and is linked with Spurs. Fernandes from West Ham is also highly sort after by United but as per Fabrizio Romano, Fernandes is open to joining either of United or Spurs.
Personally, while I do believe Fernandes is a good player and one with a high ceiling, I don't think he's quite what we need at the moment. Remember, the main priority for the window is to replace Casemiro.
Do you believe Fernandes can do that?
He's only 21-years-old, he's been relegated twice, he's going to cost more than Casemiro did when he signed in 2022 (£70m for Casemiro, £85m for Fernandes), has no Champions League experience, has no big club experience, and I feel that it is unfair to ask such a young player to come in and take over from one of the best holding midfielders we've ever seen.
And - this is one of the main issues - Fernandes isn't even an out-and-out CDM. It's a role he can fill but he's more box-to-box.
Due to all of this, United shouldn't be taking such a HUGE risk.
Instead, I'd rather we go for Aurelien Tchouameni.
He'd probably cost the same (if not less) than Fernandes and ticks every box we require:
Experienced ✅
UCL Proven ✅
CDM and Casemiro replacement ✅
Played for big club ✅
Key player for club and country ✅
And for me, I believe he's better than every midfielder we've been linked to.
Reports are also quite positive for United with this transfer as well.
Diario Sport are saying that "A potential Real Madrid exit for Aurélien Tchouaméni, with Manchester United linked, is becoming an increasingly realistic scenario. The idea is gaining more and more strength inside the club."
We HAVE to make the most of this news!
So while this may not be quite a 'Here we go' it is still an encouraging update all the same and from a very credible Spanish outlet too.
I know that there was talk that his high wages could be a stumbling block as he earns £207k-a-week [Capology].
Now that I look at it, I think that's a fair assessment of a player of his quality. Considering what we pay certain players at United...
I don't think it's wrong of me to say this as well but I believe despite the quality and high ceiling of Fernandes, most United fans would prefer Tchouameni. He's just better in every way and actually fills the role we need.
So in an unfortunate way, Ugarte's injury might have taken away United's margin for error and forced the club's hand into going and signing a better midfielder than they may have initially intended.
And when you think about it, Tchouameni, Mainoo, Ederson, Ugarte when he returns and possibly a youngster, sounds better than Fernandes, Mainoo, Ederson, Ugarte and a youngster.
That one player makes a MASSIVE difference.
United have to make the right choice.
Manuel Ugarte's ACL injury majorly impacts Man Utd's midfield transfer plans | Image: Icon Sport via Getty Images - Manchester Evening News