Ruben Amorim is reportedly weighing up a move to salvage Manuel Ugarte from his Manchester United nightmare. The Portuguese coach, now at AC Milan, previously worked with Ugarte at Sporting and during his brief stint at Old Trafford.
Ugarte's Struggles at Old Trafford
United signed Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain in 2024 for £42m, but the midfielder has started just 30 league matches across two seasons. He fell further down the pecking order when Kobbie Mainoo reclaimed his place in the starting XI during the second half of last season.
Michael Carrick has now informed Ugarte that he has no place in his future plans. United have already brought in Brazilian midfielder Ederson from Atalanta and are poised to bid for West Ham's Mateus Fernandes.
Talks with AC Milan
Ugarte is well aware he has no future at Old Trafford and has tasked his agent, Jorge Mendes, with finding a new club. Mendes has opened talks with Milan over a potential switch, according to reports.
Amorim, who was appointed Milan's new head coach, previously worked with Ugarte during his trophy-laden tenure at Sporting and later at United. High expectations surrounded Ugarte following Amorim's arrival, but he consistently failed to justify his transfer fee.
Speaking two months before his sacking as United manager, Amorim said: "You can sense a lot of very good players come here, and sometimes they struggle. He is struggling at the moment but it is our job to try to help him feel like I felt when he was a Sporting player."
Transfer Fee Negotiations
United are keen to recoup a significant portion of the £42m they paid for Ugarte and are holding out for around £30m. Milan chief executive Giorgio Furlani is reluctant to meet that valuation, though further talks are planned to reach a compromise.
A strong World Cup showing could strengthen United's hand, with Ugarte having started Uruguay's opening match against Saudi Arabia. They face Cape Verde on Sunday and Spain on June 27.
Selling the midfielder to Milan would delight Carrick, who is planning a midfield rebuild for next season.
