Manuel Ugarte sends clear message ahead of Ruben Amorim Man United appointment

Manchester United have responded well after Erik Ten Hag's tenure at the club came to an abrupt end earlier this week, as they close in on appointing Ruben Amorim as the club's next manager.

Interim manager, Ruud van Nistelrooy oversaw Man United's progression to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a rout of Leicester City at Old Trafford. Goals from Casemiro (x2), Bruno Fernandes (x2) and Alejandro Garnacho ensured a 5-2 victory, as once again, it was proven they are capable of pushing for silverware in the face of adversity.

Perhaps the players were given the freedom to perform with all of the focus firmly fixed on the noise around the appointment of the next permanent coach. To that end, Amorim is on course to make the leap from Sporting CP after a €10m (£8.3m) compensation package was settled upon.

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The next steps will be to agree the fee with Sporting so he can bring his coaching staff with him, then there is the matter of a notice period Sporting have set in stone. As things stand, Man United will be forced to wait until later in November to roll out a welcome. At least Van Nistelrooy has proven himself if handed the reigns for an extended period.

One player in particular that will be looking forward to the potential arrival of Amorim is Manuel Ugarte. The £42.3m summer signing was introduced to European football by the 39-year-old when earning his big break in Lisbon three years ago, sharing a close bond before Paris Saint-Germain eventually came calling for his services.

That transfer did not work out, and United sought to provide the 23-year-old a lifeline at Old Trafford. But evidently Ten Hag didn't give his latest recruit much of a chance by leaving him on the bench in two of the last three Premier League matches, starting only one of his league outings. As it turns out, he was actually the Dutchman's third-choice in the market.

Van Nistelrooy installed the Uruguayan back into the starting XI for last night's cup victory, lasting the duration, and afterwards he had a clear message of motivation for his team-mates. Posting on Instagram, Ugarte wrote: "This is the way. Let’s keep working together."

Ugarte completed his match against the Foxes with 89.7 per cent pass accuracy, the third-most touches of any Man United player with 75, two aerial duels won, two interceptions and one tackle. Clearly, there is a player who is ready-made for the incoming coach of choice.