Butt and Ferdinand Deliver Damning Verdict on Ugarte as Galatasaray Circle

Manuel Ugarte's troubled spell at Manchester United appears to be reaching a premature end, with Turkish heavyweights Galatasaray circling and two club legends delivering withering assessments of the midfielder's Old Trafford prospects.

Red Devils icon Nicky Butt has been characteristically blunt in his appraisal, telling The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast that Ugarte simply doesn't cut it as a United player. "Ugarte is not a Manchester United midfielder in a million years," Butt declared. "That's just one example of the recruitment and how they keep getting it wrong. They keep getting it wrong all the time with the players they're bringing in and that's a fact."

Since arriving from Paris Saint-Germain in summer 2024 for €50m (£43m), the 24-year-old Uruguayan has failed to justify the investment. A modest recent improvement in form hasn't been enough to silence the doubters.

Rio Ferdinand echoes Butt's sentiment whilst entertaining the possibility that Michael Carrick might unlock something the previous regime couldn't. "I've got to be honest, I have been disappointed with Ugarte," Ferdinand said on Rio Ferdinand Presents. "He is one player when he came in everybody said he's got legs, he can tackle, he can move. The description I was getting was he was the right type of player we needed. It just hasn't materialised."

Ferdinand continued: "I haven't seen the player that everybody was talking about before in terms of being able to get up against people quickly and tackle. That's meant to be a big part of his game, being aggressive. He hasn't put a marker down in a game that's made me think 'this guy could be one of our midfield dogs or controllers who is really going to get things going in the midfield'."

However, Ferdinand sees a potential challenge for new manager Carrick: "Can Michael Carrick get any more out of him? That is going to be a big challenge for Michael Carrick: Can he get any more out of these players as individuals to make the team better? He's got to get both of those bits better, the team better and the individual players playing to a high level and get so much more out of them."

Galatasaray Closing In

The Turkish giants have made decisive moves to secure Ugarte on loan with an option to buy, according to Fotomac. United are reportedly holding firm on €36m (£26m) to minimise losses on the underperforming midfielder.

Turkish journalist Kagan Dursun reported last week that Ugarte has already agreed personal terms with Galatasaray. "In all personal conditions, Galatasaray and Ugarte have reached an agreement. The Ugarte side has been convinced," Dursun explained. "So you have an agreement with the player, yes. But you know, there is a club side to this, when you have an agreement with the player side, it doesn't end."

A fresh update from journalist Yakup Çınar suggests the move is imminent. "Galatasaray continues its contacts regarding Manuel Ugarte," Çınar stated. "Names such as Fernando Muslera and Lucas Torreira are in talks with the player about Galatasaray. Galatasaray wants to rent him with a loan purchase option. The player will leave Manchester United 100%."

Interestingly, this contradicts reporting from ESPN's Mark Ogden, who claims Carrick has no plans to pursue January signings and must work with the squad inherited from Ruben Amorim—Ugarte included.

Nice have also been monitoring the situation, though Galatasaray appear to be leading the charge for a player who has become emblematic of United's recent transfer missteps.