Ruud van Nistelrooy defends Man Utd's £78m summer signings Manuel Ugarte & Joshua Zirkzee following poor beginnings to life at Old Trafford

Asked about Ugarte in a press conference at Manchester United's Carrington training ground, Van Nistelrooy insisted that the Uruguayan, who has come under fire for lacklustre performances since his arrival, could play a major part in the Red Devils' future. It was a similar story with Zirkzee, but the interim boss reassured that their subpar starts were down to "adjusting".

As both players were signed for over £35m each, United fans were expecting to see immediate returns on their quite significant investments. It seemed they had got their wish when Zirkzee prodded a late winner on his debut against Fulham, but the Dutchman has failed to make the net bulge since then, providing just two assists in 13 subsequent games.

Meanwhile, after an up-and-down season with Paris Saint-Germain last year, Ugarte came to United with similar expectations, although it has been made clear that he was not former manager Erik ten Haag's first choice to strengthen the midfield. However, a string of sloppy displays have led to criticism of the midfielder, and Van Nistelrooy's statements come in defence of the Uruguayan after the media asked about the nature of his performances so far.

Van Nistelrooy said on Ugarte: "I am convinced about Manuel that he will be a great player for United. He had a very good performance yesterday and against Fenerbahce he had a good performance. I think of course, getting players in an early conclusion, players who are here for two or three months, we should be careful with that I think."

"It's a great signing, he is a very good player, professional, he has very specific qualities in midfield when he gets in between players and recover the ball for us to get us in attacking positions. Also on the ball, very decent, so I mean that he will be a very good player for this club. He wants to do well for this club and is very motivated to do so."

On Zirkzee, van Nistelrooy added: "Josh is a similar answer to Manuel Ugarte's situation. Josh came in and he is a young player with a lot of potential. He's a different type (of striker) to Rasmus (Hojlund), because Rasmus is more of a No.9 who plays high up the pitch and he's getting in the backs of defenders.

"Josh is more of a player who is coming towards the ball and gets the team playing. In the Crystal Palace game, I thought he was excellent and showed one of his best performances.

"Another one with a lot of talent, he's a good age and has a lot of potential to develop."

With the new signings seemingly starting to adapt the nature of English football, there is certainly hope that United can turn around their poor Premier League form. The Red Devils host Chelsea on Sunday, a match that should they win would help re-invigorate Old Trafford with feel-good energy, ahead of a Europa League clash with PAOK Thessaloniki, and a home game against promoted Leicester City next weekend before the international break.