Manchester United have enjoyed a somewhat solid transfer window this summer. Erik ten Hag has managed to bring players such as Lenny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt to Old Trafford over the previous couple of months.
These four players will bolster the core of the first team squad and despite the club winning just one of their opening two Premier League matches, the onus will be for the new signings to settle in quickly.
INEOS have already greenlit one last addition to the team, signing Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain.
How much Man Utd spent on Manuel Ugarte
According to Fabrizio Romano, Ugarte completed his medical tests at Carrington on Friday which has subsequently seen the Old Trafford side shell out a fee of around €50m (£42m) along with a further €10m (£8.4m) in add-ons.
The Uruguayan is still only 23, indicating he could be part of the United midfield for the next few years if he remains fit. Ugarte made 37 appearances for PSG last term in all competitions, firmly establishing himself in the heart of the midfield.
According to Transfermarkt, the former Sporting CP starlet is currently valued at €45m (£38m), which suggests Ten Hag has overpaid slightly.
If he hits the ground running in Manchester, the fee surely won’t matter, but there is another new signing who is already valued much higher than Ugarte – De Ligt.
Matthijs de Ligt’s market value at Manchester United
It was clear during the summer that Ten Hag was keen on signing a few more defenders to bolster this area of the team.
Yoro arrived in mid-July, costing the club £52m. It was clearly seen as a signing which would stand United well in the future as the manager continued to explore the market for more additions.
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De Ligt was a target, eventually joining midway through August. The Dutchman may have played only 22 Bundesliga matches last season, yet he averaged a 94% pass success rate, recovered 3.3 balls per game, was dribbled past on just 0.2 occasions each match and won an impressive 59% of his total duels for Bayern Munich.
These statistics, and his ability to develop into a better player, led Ten Hag to reunite with his former centre-back this summer.
Metric
Bundesliga
Champions League
Accurate passes per game
50.8
46.5
Total duels won per game
3
3.8
Balls recovered per game
3.3
2.8
Tackles per game
0.7
1.3
Possession lost per game
3.8
5.2
His career hasn’t quite progressed how it was expected to after he left Ajax for Juventus, but the chance for a fresh start at Old Trafford should provide plenty of incentive for the 25-year-old to become one of the finest defenders in the Premier League.
De Ligt cost £38.5m a few weeks ago, which, considering how highly rated he was just a few years ago, could turn into a bargain.
According to Transfermarkt, his current market valuation is €65m (£55m), which proves United have already struck gold on the defender, and he has only been in Manchester for a handful of weeks, with the former Ajax gem already worth more than Ugarte’s price tag.
This is exactly the sort of transfer business that Ten Hag is expected to carry out. Hopefully, the move pays off for both parties.
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