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Manchester United’s midfield was way too easy to slice through for opposition teams last season and INEOS were forced to act to remedy it in the summer.
Casemiro, after a brilliant debut campaign, struggled in his sophomore season and that continued in pre-season and after a lengthy delay, in came Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain.
Erik ten Hag had revealed that the Uruguayan would need time to adapt to his new surroundings and that the fanbase should temper their expectations.
Christian Eriksen was preferred to the 23-year-old in the previous league game against Southampton but after a decent debut against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, Ugarte could be about to start his first league game in red.
Ugarte first league start
And while he still looks shy of attaining full fitness due to the lack of a proper pres-season, the manager hinted at a first league start during the embargoed section of the press conference before the Crystal Palace game.
“He’s a player very short in [number of] sessions, now he has a start in him. In Southampton, he came in as a sub. Yeah, still, he’s in the process that he has come into the club.
“He has to come into the team and know what is the game, what are the principles, what are the rules, and know his team-mates. So, especially, know with his profile what he can contribute for his team.
“So yeah, we are in that process and that will take some time, but it will come, it will come in a natural way. And you can already see when he is fulfilling the process he will really be a very good player for us.”
Time for revenge
Last season, against the Eagles, the team from Selhurst Park ran riot, scoring four without a reply with Casemiro struggling to contain their attackers.
Palace have since lost Michael Olise to Bayern Munich and will be without as many as four stars, which will give the Red Devils the chance to exact revenge.
While Ten Hag refuted such statements, that night’s memory will be fresh in the minds of the players and with 10 goals scored in their last two games, they will be full of confidence heading into the game.
And with Ugarte shielding the backline, the frontmen will have more licence to go forward and hopefully, the Uruguayan can show his worth in the league starting today.
Feature image Stu Forster via Getty Images
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