Man Utd sacked Erik ten Hag in October. (Image: Getty)
Manuel Ugarte walked around Carrington with a spring in his step on the day sacked and quickly made a move for , according to reports.
The 23-year-old midfielder has established himself as one of Amorim’s most trusted lieutenants in his first two months as head coach.
That comes as no surprise, considering the successful partnership they shared at Sporting before Ugarte joined Paris Saint-Germain in a £51million deal in 2023.
Amorim entered the hot seat at an intensely challenging period, but he would have been delighted with the comfort of inheriting a player he could trust from the get-go.
Ugarte has started United’s last seven domestic games for which he’s been available and produced his finest display at Anfield on Sunday.
The Red Devils didn’t complete the initial £40m summer swoop for Ugarte in time for him to face at Old Trafford.
He watched the 3-0 rout and Casemiro getting hooked at half-time after a car crash first-half performance – which signalled the end of his time at the club was edging closer – from the stands.
But it didn’t take the Uruguay international long to adapt once he was on the pitch, and, alongside Amad, he has been United’s standout performer under Amorim so far.
His reported delight when the news emerged that the Portuguese head coach was the club’s primary target to replace Ten Hag makes the pair’s early symbiosis no surprise.
Manuel Ugarte is one of Ruben Amorim’s favourites. (Image: Getty)
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According to the , Ugarte was visibly happy on the day of Ten Hag’s sacking because of how quickly United moved to lure Amorim from Sporting.
And he is claimed to have shown how much he wants to succeed in England under his old boss by going the extra mile since his arrival.
The report adds that Ugarte is always among the last players to leave Carrington because he undertakes additional gym sessions after training.
His extra effort came good during the weekend’s 2-2 draw on Merseyside as he helped United win a notoriously difficult midfield battle alongside Kobbie Mainoo and .
Ugarte earned vast praise for his impressive exploits against the Reds. However, Amorim kept him grounded by refusing to single out the ex-Sporting maestro for praise.
“I think I don’t want to talk about just Ugarte… Ugarte is the only guy I know really well,” Amorim explained.
“Everybody [deserves praise], even on the bench. Today, they faced the competition in a different way. It’s so simple but so difficult to explain here, so it’s so clear for everybody.”
Ugarte will undoubtedly retain his place in the starting line-up when United visit in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.