Manuel Ugarte has been called "lucky" after Ruben Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag at Manchester United last month.

The midfielder arrived at Old Trafford from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer for €50million (£42.3m), with a further €10m (£8.5m) in add-ons. Ugarte signed a five-year deal and was hailed as a natural successor to the ageing Casemiro in defensive midfield.

But the 23-year-old struggled for game time at M16 under previous united boss Ten Hag. The Uruguay international did not play a full 90 minutes in the Premier League until Ten Hag's sacking in October which cost a total of £10.4m.

The Dutchman was replaced with Amorim, who worked with Ugarte at Sporting. Ugarte's rise came under the Portuguese, where he won a League Cup in 2022 before going on to join PSG.

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And fellow Uruguayan and former Tottenham midfielder Gus Poyet has had his say on Ugarte's move to the Reds. He believes his compatriot was fortunate to be reunited with Amorim but backs him to be a success in Manchester.

“Manuel Ugarte is lucky that Ruben Amorim has joined Manchester United as the manager," Poyet told BetVictor. "He wasn’t a regular starter under Erik ten Hag, but now he’ll be working under a manager who he knows well.

"I like the player a lot, I think he can make a big impact at the club under a manager who made great use of his abilities at Sporting Lisbon. I was delighted to see him come to the Premier League, but he wasn’t starting under Erik ten Hag.

"Hopefully now he can get an extended run in the starting XI. That will help him to adapt to the Premier League and I hope he can get a good run in the side and make an impact for United.”