Gary Neville says he expects Manuel Ugarte to have to step down when Manchester United return to the transfer market to bolster their options in midfield in the summer.
Ugarte arrived in Manchester with high expectations on his shoulders after completing a £50 million transfer from Paris Saint-Germain back in 2024.
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But the 24-year-old has struggled mightily to live up to the high price tag during two disappointing seasons in English football, and has yet to start a single game since Michael Carrick took over the helm.
In sharp contrast, Kobbie Mainoo has had an extraordinary resurgence under United’s interim head coach, having been effectively frozen out of the starting eleven under Ruben Amorim.
Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro have also been firing on all cylinders in United’s midfield, and both played an integral role on Sunday afternoon as the Red Devils returned to winning ways with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa.
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However, Casemiro – who opened the scoring at Old Trafford – has confirmed that he will leave United at the end of the season, leaving the club with a huge hole to fill in midfield and in the dressing room.
Long before the Brazilian had even announced his imminent departure, United had begun their search for reinforcements in central midfield, with names such as Adam Wharton, Elliot Anderson and Carlos Baleba linked last summer.
The experienced Brazilian will leave Old Trafford at the end of the season. Casemiro reportedly encouraged United’s management to pursue a bid to bring compatriot Bruno Guimaraes away from Newcastle when the transfer window opens for business.
After Casemiro’s outstanding performance against Villa, Neville insisted it was “right” that the club respected the midfielder’s desire to seek a new challenge elsewhere.
But the former United and England right-back said it was crucial that his former club filled the void with two high-quality additions to bolster their squad for next season.
“Casemiro has so much experience. Obviously, Manchester United have picked him up in the later part of his career,” Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast.
“When you see him now, you imagine . . . well we know because we saw him win five Champions League titles… What he was: He is an exceptional central midfielder who played in one of the most dominant central midfields you will ever see, a fantastic midfielder for Real Madrid.
“But it is right that United let him go, and it is right that he leaves United. This is like a guest appearance at the end of his career, almost like a swan song, where he probably loves every minute of this, and you can see it.
“He shows and kisses his brand to the fans, the fans really love him, and it’s right that he leaves at the end of the season.
“They will miss his presence in both fields. I think he’s phenomenal at reaching the end of crosses and phenomenal at clearing them. He’s tough in the air, he’s very good, he jumps early.
“It was an exceptional goal.”
Neville added: “United need two central midfielders in the summer.
“In the last summer window, they renewed the attacking line with Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo as well as players like Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo, and it’s really starting to work and you can see real goals and real threat.
“Manchester United didn’t score enough goals last season and it’s an absolute no-no here, you have to score goals, so they’ve corrected that. Bruno Fernandes as a creator, and even Mason Mount I will throw in there when he is injury-free.
“There seem to be good options in attack, but central midfield is a problem.”
According to Neville, United should look to replace Casemiro and Ugarte with a “Michael Carrick-type” midfielder and a more match-ready “destroyer”.
He explained: “I think Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro are doing a good job right now for Michael Carrick, but every United supporter in this stadium knows that it’s going to be far from enough when United start playing in the Champions League next season, which is more than likely they will, and they won’t be knocked out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in the first round.
“They’re going to need three or four really good central midfielders. At the moment, they have Mainoo that you can believe in, but you can’t really look at any of the others and think that it’s going to work.
“Casemiro is leaving, and I think Ugarte will leave, so they need two really good central midfielders. Probably one that’s more positional, maybe like a Michael Carrick type, and one that’s more of a destroyer.”
The eight-time Premier League winner continued: “Basically, they need these two players and that’s the next area of focus.
“I think the defence needs to be looked at, but I think the midfield will be the real focus in the summer window.”
Carrick was careful not to add fuel to the fire of speculation about a possible U-turn for Casemiro when the Brazilian’s future was brought up in his post-match press conference.
However, United’s interim boss applauded the former Real Madrid player for the “amazing” impact he has had in recent weeks.
Asked if there was any chance that Casemiro could change his mind and stay, Carrick replied: “I think, in some ways, it’s hard to say.
“When something is decided, in some ways, the fact that things have been decided makes it a little easier, and everyone really understands the situation.
“I think the impact he’s had has been amazing, at least since I’ve been here working with him, and his influence on the team and in key moments with goals.
“And I think it was a nice moment at the end there with the supporters, and having that connection and respect.
“It was a nice moment, and I think he’ll enjoy it.”
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