Manchester United’s planned midfield overhaul has hit a bump in the road after Manuel Ugarte picked up a serious knee injury while representing Uruguay at the World Cup.
Michael Carrick’s side was expected to invest heavily in midfield targets this summer ahead of returning to the Champions League, with a £35m deal for Atlanta’s Ederson already said to be signed, and Aurelien Tchouameni, Sandro Tonali and Matheus Fernandes all reported to be among further targets.
Future signings were set to depend on outgoings, though, and several current United stars were put up in the shop window.
Ugarte was among them and was reported to have suitors in Serie A, but his latest injury is a spanner to United’s plans.
He was stretchered off during Uruguay’s 1-0 defeat by Spain on Friday night, which confirmed their elimination from the World Cup, and United have now confirmed the extent of his injury.
“Manchester United can confirm that Manuel Ugarte has suffered a knee ligament injury whilst representing Uruguay in Friday's World Cup group-stage match against Spain,” a club statement read.
“Assessment of the injury is ongoing to determine the best course of treatment and the rehabilitation timescale. Everyone wishes Manuel a successful recovery and we will be supporting him every step of the way.”
While Ugarte’s recovery period is not yet confirmed, he is widely expected to spend several months on the sidelines, thus making any prospective summer transfer extremely unlikely.
United will have to look elsewhere to raise funds for their squad overhaul. Striker Joshua Zirkzee is in the Netherlands’ World Cup squad and is set to be offered out this summer, while Marcus Rashford is also expected to depart despite Barcelona declining to make his loan permanent earlier this summer. Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayindir is also due to move on.
