Erik ten Hag has urged fans to be patient with new signing Manuel Ugarte after Manchester United beat Liverpool 3-0 at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils secured an impressive win at home on Sunday, with Luis Diaz scoring two hard-fought goals against Andre Onana before Mohamed Salah scored the third goal to secure victory for the Reds. This came just a week after the defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, with United conceding just two goals so far in the 2024/25 campaign.
The arrival of new talent such as Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Leny Yoro has been greeted with optimism, but fans have not seen their latest signing since Ugarte moved to Old Trafford from Paris Saint-Germain that day. Negotiations closed.
“We have to integrate him into the team,” Ten Hag said when asked about Ugarte after the Liverpool clash. “It’s going to take time. It’s not like I’m Harry Potter, that’s what you need to know.
“Manuel Ugarte, he didn’t play in the season, not one match minute. We have to build his fitness and then I am sure he will be an important player.
“I don’t want to talk about positives. There are some, but we have to take this defeat. It hurts, especially for our fans. We have to be humble. It is just the third game in the season and we have to build a new team.
“I don’t think it’s right to say it feels the same as last year. You can see [from] the xG we didn’t concede as many goals. I don’t think we are in the same pattern. Well done, Liverpool. We have to be humble and take it.”
Manchester United entered the international break having won their only game against Fulham. They will travel to the south coast to face Southampton in the return of the Premier League.
