Manchester United exercised patience to sign Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain this summer. United were reluctant to match PSG's initial asking price of a €60million (£50.6m) fixed fee and finally signed Ugarte for €50million (£42.3m), with €10m (£8.5m) in add-ons.
The deal was complete on transfer deadline day but it never seemed in danger of collapsing, as the player was desperate to join United and the sale was within PSG's interest.
United believed the deal showed their patient approach to negotiations had worked and a source said they felt they had 'significantly strengthened their squad', but Ugarte has been in Manchester for over a month and he's made just one start in the Premier League. ALSO READ: United have lost their unsung hero after 21 years of service ALSO READ: Secret clause included in Fernandez transfer to Benfica Ugarte was considered a mobile No.6 and was expected to protect the defensive line by intercepting and recovering balls, something Casemiro did brilliantly during 2022/23.
However, he has failed to hit the ground running and was an unused substitute against Aston Villa before the international break, with Casemiro selected to come on instead.