Ten Hag, the boss of Man Utd, reveals long-time admiration for Ugarte since Ajax days

Ten Hag explained to MUTV: “I have been aware of him for quite some time, having previously faced him when managing Ajax against Sporting Lisbon. Despite it being a late transfer, he is arriving in a crucial position on the team. It is vital to have a player who can seamlessly transition between defending and attacking, and he fits that role perfectly.”

"Communication is very important there, to tie the team, to lead the team, to make the connection between attacking and defence, defence and attacking. We have to help him, we have to guide him, how he has to play that role, but from what we have seen, he knows already a lot, of course. He has the profile where we think he can fit in that role and now we have to teach him some details, how it works in our team.

"It was not only that match but also in the seasons after, when he played there, when he played for Uruguay, when he played for Paris. I have him in my mind, I have him in my eye. The scouting department has him in their mind and we followed him. We judged that he would be a really good fit for our team.”