Casemiro and Christian Eriksen have both had productive seasons during their first year at Manchester United, but Erik ten Hag wants to fortify his midfield even more in preparation for the upcoming season.

Behind Bruno Fernandes, the two summer 2022 arrivals have forged a strong relationship, with the Brazilian providing strength and direction while Eriksen’s passing range and composure have helped the Red Devils advance the ball up the pitch.

United has typically had successful outcomes and assured performances when the trio is in top form, firing on all cylinders, and not overextended. However, when one of those players is absent, the side suffers.

Due to a seven-game Premier League suspension, Casemiro is no longer in the lineup, and after a promising start to the year, Scott McTominay has a marked decline in quality. This year, the Scotland international has been linked with moves away from Old Trafford, with teams like Newcastle and West Ham United interested in signing him.

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For these reasons, it is believed that Man United is looking at midfielders who could replace Casemiro, who at 31 needs to be rotated out of the team more frequently as time goes on.

Few midfielders would be better suited for such a role than Manuel Ugarte of Sporting Lisbon, in whom A Bola (via Desporto ao Minuto) has stated that United is interested.

Despite only spending two seasons at Sporting, the Uruguayan star has already made a name for himself as one of the best defensive midfield prospects in European football. After moving to Fulham last summer, he easily replaced Joao Palhinha by bringing just as much vigour and competitive attitude as the Portuguese battler.

Ugarte’s amazing 90-minute tackle and interception statistics on the pitch are 4.63 and 2.18, respectively. For comparison, the tackle king of the Premier League, Palhinha, averaged 4.26 and 1.33 over the previous season.

With a 91.6% pass completion rate in possession, the Sporting starlet is also incredibly dependable. Although the 22-year-old is not a helper machine, Man United frequently deploys a bunch of midfielders who take risks. Ten Hag might find a safe pass to be a welcome change of pace as he attempts to show the opposition how good his team is.

Given recent links to Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, Ugarte is set to transfer this summer.

According to reports, the player, who has a €60 million release clause, would prefer to play in the Premier League.

The midfielder will likely have several choices to think about given Manchester United’s reportedly “decisive” arrival into the competition.