Manchester United Faces Long-Term Challenge with Manuel Ugarte

Manchester United thought this summer might be the moment to quietly draw a line under the Manuel Ugarte experiment. Instead, they are staring at a problem that could follow them for years.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the club’s co-owner and INEOS chief, had already made up his mind. According to an April report in The Athletic, Ratcliffe watched Ugarte live against Leeds United and left convinced the midfielder should be sold. United were prepared to cut their losses.

Ugarte, signed for more than £50 million in 2024, had not delivered across two flat campaigns. The club’s hierarchy accepted that his value had dropped sharply. As ESPN report, United knew that to help balance the books they would need a bid of around £20 million. Even that looked optimistic given his form and wage packet.

The most realistic outcome? A loan. Find a club willing to take him for a season and cover his salary, reset the situation, and hope his value recovered somewhere else.

Then came the World Cup.

A serious knee injury with Uruguay at the 2026 finals changed everything. Any prospect of a sale or loan vanished in an instant. United suddenly moved from trying to shift a misfiring asset to managing a long-term rehabilitation.

The one piece of relief is financial. Under the FIFA Club Protection Programme, United will have Ugarte’s wages covered while he is sidelined with an injury sustained on international duty. On the balance sheet, that eases the immediate strain.

On the squad sheet, it does nothing.

Ugarte, now 25, is under contract at Old Trafford until June 2029. The injury has not solved United’s dilemma, it has simply delayed it. As ESPN put it, the issue has been kicked down the road. Next summer, United will be back in the same position: a high-earning midfielder, a diminished market, and a contract that still has years to run.

This is exactly the type of scenario new powerbrokers Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox are determined to avoid – expensive signings on long deals who become hard to move on once their stock falls. In Ugarte’s case, the situation could drag on for another three years if his form, fitness or market appeal fail to rebound.

For a club trying to reset its recruitment and wage structure under Ratcliffe’s partial ownership, Ugarte has become a case study in what they no longer want to be.

Zirkzee stays – and Carrick backs him

Ugarte is not the only player United explored moving on this summer. Joshua Zirkzee was also made available, but his story has taken a different turn.

While a departure was considered, the Netherlands international remains at Old Trafford, and Michael Carrick has made it clear he sees value in keeping him. Speaking to BBC Sport, the United manager underlined Zirkzee’s importance to the group and the months ahead.

“For sure Josh is important, for the team, for the squad the depth,” Carrick said. “Josh is happy here and I have a really good relationship with Josh. He wants to play more than he has but that is good healthy competition.

“We have a lot of games coming up, we have a shorter period between games. Josh can do some really top things, I have seen it myself.”

Where Ugarte has become a financial and sporting puzzle, Zirkzee looks more like an opportunity. A forward who wants minutes, a manager who believes there is more to come, and a packed schedule that will demand rotation.

United’s new regime wants cleaner, sharper decisions in the market. Ugarte’s contract is a reminder of past missteps. Zirkzee’s future, and how decisively the club handle it, will show whether they are really learning from them.