'When I win the ball, I'm happy' - who is incoming Man Utd midfielder Ugarte?

Manchester United are adjacent to making Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte their 5th signing of nan summertime transportation window.

Erik 10 Hag’s nine have agreed a interest of £42.3m for nan 23-year-old Paris St-Germain player, successful a woody that includes a imaginable £8.5m successful further payments.

Ugarte is group to person a aesculapian successful Manchester connected Tuesday earlier completing nan move.

BBC Sport takes a person look astatine nan man group to travel caller arrivals Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui done nan Old Trafford entrance.

A protect midfielder, Montevideo-born Ugarte spent his formative years arsenic a striker for Uruguayan top-flight nine Fenix, who handed him his convention front aged conscionable 15 years and 233 days - making him nan youngest Uruguayan convention debutant successful nan 21st Century.

After being fixed nan captain’s armband aged 18, it was not agelong earlier Ugarte’s displays caught nan attraction of Portuguese Primeira Liga nine Famalicao, who signed him successful December 2020. Eight months later, however, nan past 20-year-old was snapped up by reigning champions Sporting Lisbon - initially arsenic a back-up to Joao Palhinha, who would time off for Fulham successful 2022.

It was successful Lisbon wherever Ugarte started to show flashes of his existent potential, establishing a estimation arsenic an athletic, tough-tackling holding midfielder nether Ruben Amorim and attracting nan liking of some Chelsea and PSG, pinch nan French nine winning nan title for his signature successful 2023.

"Ugarte has been a revelation," PSG head Luis Enrique said past year. "He is simply a awesome signing and a subordinate pinch truthful overmuch room for betterment going guardant [and] successful defence.

"He’s a young subordinate pinch character, which is very important for us, and that continuity we request successful our positional play."

Ugarte made 37 appearances for nan French champions past season, including 25 successful Ligue 1 and 8 successful nan Champions League, wherever he started each but 1 of PSG's group games.

He has besides won 22 caps for Uruguay since making his world debut successful September 2021. He was an unused substitute successful their 3 group matches astatine nan 2022 World Cup, but was named successful this summer’s Copa America squad of nan tournament, helping Uruguay decorativeness third down Colombia and winners Argentina.

He is nan 5th Uruguayan subordinate to correspond Manchester United, aft Diego Forlan, Guillermo Varela, Edinson Cavani and Facundo Pellistri, who precocious joined Panathinaikos.

Given Manchester United’s vulnerability astatine nan backmost past play - only relegated Sheffield United conceded much shots successful nan Premier League than Ten Hag’s squad - nan signing of Ugarte should travel arsenic nary surprise.

He excelled successful a 3-4-3 strategy while astatine Sporting but nan immense mostly of his displays astatine PSG came arsenic nan deepest subordinate successful a midfield three. At United, he is apt to beryllium deployed successful a double-pivot successful a 4-2-3-1 - astir most apt alongside Kobbie Mainoo.

Casemiro has been nan Red Devils’ go-to protect midfielder nether Ten Hag but endured a frustrating run past play - though he was by nary intends nan only subordinate to disappoint.

At PSG past season, Ugarte recorded nan second-most tackles among midfielders successful Europe’s apical 5 leagues, averaging 4.56 per 90 minutes. He besides registered 8.42 shot recoveries per crippled - nan fourth-best tally by a midfielder successful Europe’s apical divisions - while only 5 midfielders won possession much often successful nan last 3rd (1.35 times per 90 minutes).

"When I triumph nan shot back, I’m happy," Ugarte said successful an question and reply pinch PSG’s charismatic website successful 2023. "But arsenic play goes on, I commencement hoping for a goal. I opportunity to myself: 'I want it to beryllium a goal.'"

By comparison, Casemiro managed only 3.76 tackles and 6.03 shot recoveries per crippled successful nan Premier League successful 2023-24. The Brazilian besides won less challenges connected nan crushed (4.62 compared pinch 6.79 per 90 minutes) and mislaid nan shot much often (13.6 compared pinch 8.56 times per game) than Ugarte.

If nan Uruguayan tin proceed that awesome shape successful England, he could beryllium conscionable nan subordinate Manchester United person been crying retired for.