New Manchester United player Manuel Ugarte has revealed that he held talks with Facundo Pellistri, who helped convince him to sign for the club.
Ugarte was finally unveiled as the latest addition to the ranks at Old Trafford on deadline day.
Pellistri left United to join Greek side Panathinaikos for an initial £5.1m on August 21 while Ugarte’s transfer to the 20-time English champions from Paris Saint-Germain was officially confirmed a few days ago. The two therefore never got to be club teammates but they undoubtedly know each other well from their time together on the international stage.
Pellistri and Ugarte are regulars in the Uruguay team and spent time together in the United States this summer as Uruguay finished third in the Copa America.
In his first sit-down with club media, Ugarte divulged that Pellistri helped him understand why United are so special.
On why he decided to complete a switch to United, the midfielder said, “First and foremost, its history, because we all know what a massive club United is – one of the best teams in the world.”
“I also spoke a lot with Facu Pellistri and he told me all about everything: the atmosphere that’s generated, the matchday atmosphere that builds up at Old Trafford is incredible. So yes, I’m really excited. I’d love to experience United’s legendary stadium as a player and feel the presence of the supporters.”
“I’ve watched a few games since the news started to come out. I’ve also spoken with one or two players – with Bruno and Licha – and I have chatted quite a lot. So yes, I’m really thrilled and more than anything eager and excited, while I obviously realise that it’s a great responsibility and I’m prepared for that.”
Ugarte gave his reaction to the fan atmosphere at Old Trafford on Sunday against Liverpool, despite the fact that the match did not go according to plan, as the Reds slipped to a 3-0 loss.
“I’m really excited. I’ve never seen anything like it before, these United fans, because, since the news first came out, they’ve been sending me messages. I’ve seen them everywhere!”
“It also made the news in Uruguay and so I also think that the supporters, the real fans, the die-hard United fans, deserve the club to be winning trophies and that’s what we’re hoping to achieve.”
The 23-year-old opened up on his style of play and what fans can expect of him going forward.
In particular, Ugarte noted the concept of “garra charrua” – the claw of the charrua (the indigenous people of Uruguay).
The former PSG and Sporting Lisbon man about this, “It’s about fighting for every ball like it was your very last. It’s something totally natural that you find in Uruguayan players and it’s down to lots of things: the background and context we’ve played in and because there are so few of us.”
“Uruguay is a tiny country, but it’s won and achieved a lot. It produces good players and this is also down to that ‘garra charrúa’, which means basically giving everything you’ve got, no matter what the situation.”
Despite making only 25 appearances for PSG in Ligue 1 last term, no player made more tackles than United’s new no. 25.
Ugarte clearly loves getting stuck in. He however noted that he is no slouch on the ball and can also be instrumental in possession of required.
“That was a totally genuine comment [his tackling stats], because I was describing my style of play and that phrase just came out naturally. But it does kind of sum me up, because it’s something I feel very comfortable doing when it comes to winning the ball back and now I’m looking forward to doing it right here.”
“[Tackling] is something I do as a rule and it’s part and parcel of my game.”
“I feel that I’m decent at winning the ball back but that I can also be very good in possession too. Of course, there are things I can improve upon, but what better place is there to be doing that than here?”
Ugarte is currently away with Uruguay on international duty but will almost certainly be back for United’s game vs. Southampton on 14 August.
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