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Ruben Amorim managed Manuel Ugarte at Sporting Lisbon for three years between 2021 and 2023.
The Urguayan joined PSG for only one season, before moving to Manchester United in the summer.
Amorim is expected to finalise his deal with the Red Devils in the next couple of weeks, with personal terms already being agreed.
He revealed that he will have more information after Sporting’s game against Estrela Amadora tomorrow night.
Old information has now come to light, regarding Amorim’s view on Manuel Ugarte while he was at Sporting.
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The Portuguese manager replaced the defensive midfielder for Morten Hjulmand in 2023, citing some of Ugarte’s weaknesses.
‘They are completely different characteristics. Morten doesn’t have Ugarte’s ability to find players from all sides of the pitch with incredible speed,’ he said.
Amorim praised Ugarte’s quick passing ability, but raised concerns about his positioning and awareness.
‘Morten has, and Ugarte didn’t have, the ability to read the game, anticipate moves and be well positioned.
‘We have to adapt the team to the players we have and Morten will also adapt to our way of playing, to our high pressing,’ he said.
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At United, Amorim has three options at defensive midfield – Ugarte, Casemiro and the young Toby Collyer.
Collyer has made only two senior appearances for the Red Devils, meaning the manager would likely have to choose between Ugarte and Casemiro to regularly start.
He prefers to play a 5-3-2 formation, with only one defensive midfielder.
After publicly voicing his opinion on the 23-year-old’s weaknesses, it will be interesting to see how he decides to structure United’s midfield.
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