Wrong choice? Manuel Ugarte given Man Utd exit advice after upsetting iconic countryman with Chelsea transfer snub

Ugarte rose to prominence in Portugal with Sporting, where he spent two years working with Ruben Amorim. They were eventually reunited at Old Trafford, but neither enjoyed the best of times in English football.

A Premier League challenge could have been embraced by Ugarte some 12 months prior to his eventual arrival in Manchester. He did, however, opt to head for Paris Saint-Germain - rather than Stamford Bridge - when bidding farewell to Lisbon.

He has been informed that the wrong decision may have been made there, with a once promising career in serious danger of stalling. Ugarte has started just 29 of his 49 Premier League appearances for United and has struggled to convince across several of those outings.

The Red Devils are reportedly preparing a freshening up of their midfield department, with Ugarte expected to form part of that process as offers are encouraged and he is ushered towards the exits.

Speaking exclusively to GOAL in association with Thunderpick, ex-Chelsea and Uruguay star Poyet said when asked if Ugarte needs to write off his stint in England and start afresh elsewhere: “Yeah, and it affected me a lot because he's from Uruguay and before he went to Paris Saint-Germain, I wanted him to come to Chelsea. When they started the rumours, Chelsea, big Chelsea, you know you want to come, make a decision, come to Chelsea. I don't know him, so I couldn't call him! And he went to Paris Saint-Germain and I was a little bit upset because I thought it was perfect at that time for Chelsea. But after that, he kind of didn't kick on. Paris Saint-Germain and now Man United. 

“He needs to find the right club. I think he's a top player. I think he's a top central midfielder. I think he can cover the pitch well. He can cover spaces. He can defend well. He can play, start the options. But he needs to find the team. 

“He needs to find, I would say, the identity of a club to be able to play every week because he even lost his main position at the national team because in the national team, everybody was playing and was thinking Ugarte, [Rodrigo] Bentancur, [Fede] Valverde. And then the national team is playing with two and a number 10 off the front. And that's why he's not playing. So, yes, it's a big summer for Ugarte and I hope he makes a good decision for him and for his family.”

Ugarte has claimed that he will be “in the best shape possible” for this summer’s World Cup, but match sharpness will be lacking. With that in mind, United legend Gary Neville is another to have suggested that a change of scenery will soon be taken in at club level.

He has said of what the next transfer window has in store for the Red Devils: “Casemiro is leaving and Manuel Ugarte I think will leave. They need two really good central midfield players. Probably one that's more positional, like a Michael Carrick-type, and one that's more of a destroyer. I do think the back needs looking at but the midfield would be the real focus in the summer transfer window.”

Ugarte joined United in a deal worth €50 million (£43m/$58m). They will struggle to raise anything close to that from a sale, given how the Uruguayan has fared in the Premier League, but it has become clear that a parting of ways is now the best option for all concerned.