August 22nd 2024.
Former Manchester United player, Paul Scholes, has expressed his doubts about the club's new incoming midfielder. He believes that United should aim to sign Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan instead of Manuel Ugarte, who they are reportedly close to signing from Paris Saint-Germain.
Scholes believes that United needs a "controlling player" with a football brain to dictate the pace of the game. He even suggested Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi as a potential option. However, he also expressed his desire to see Gundogan make a move to the red side of Manchester, as the German midfielder is rumored to be leaving City after terminating his contract with Barcelona.
During an interview with Jamie Carragher on The Overlap, Scholes stated, "Gundogan. I know it's unlikely, but he's the type of player that Man United needs. A Zubimendi... or maybe Gundogan. A controlling midfielder who can calm the game down. Gundogan is perfect for that."
Scholes also shared his concerns about Ugarte, questioning his technical abilities and comparing him to Sofyan Amrabat, who struggled during his loan spell at United last season. "I haven't seen much of Ugarte, I only saw him a couple of times last year," he said. "I'm not sure if he's technically good enough. He seems to be similar to Amrabat, maybe a bit better."
When YouTuber and United fan Adam McKola mentioned Ugarte's impressive tackling statistics, Scholes remained unconvinced. "We don't need someone to just win tackles," he explained. "We need someone who can control the game and prevent it from becoming too chaotic. We need someone with a football brain who can relax the team and tell Bruno [Fernandes] to keep the ball for a while."
In other Manchester United news, the team has been busy this summer, with Ugarte potentially becoming their fifth signing. However, Scholes believes that the club should prioritize signing a midfielder over other positions. He also expressed his concerns about the club's transfer strategy, suggesting that they are targeting the wrong profile of player.
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