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The 1-2 defeat at the hands of a struggling West Ham on Sunday left Manchester United languishing in 14th place in the Premier League table and finally forced INEOS to take a decisive stand.
On Monday, the club officially announced that Erik ten Hag was sacked and Ruud van Nistelrooy placed in interim charge ahead of the Carabao Cup tie against Leicester City.
The Dutchman will point to the two trophies he won during his tenure as major highlights while injuries, and refereeing mistakes did not help but the lack of a clear identity from the team and bizarre selection calls did not impress senior players nor the hierarchy.
The former Ajax coach often resorted to dropping in-form players abruptly in the name of rotation or refused to give regular minutes to certain players like Amad Diallo and Manuel Ugarte.
EtH did not trust Ugarte
The Uruguayan was signed for a hefty fee in the summer but the Dutch tactician seemingly was not a fan as he seemed to prefer Sofyan Amrabat, who was at the club on loan last season.
The former Paris Saint-Germain star has managed only one start in the league with Ten Hag confirming during the start of the season that it would take the Uruguay international time to adapt to his new surroundings.
INEOS were hopeful that Ugarte would be integrated quickly and used to fix the midfield woes from last season when the team looked very open and susceptible from counter attacks.
However, Ten Hag did not fancy Ugarte as the defensive midfielder managed only two minutes of action in the last three league encounters, with the 54-year-old preferring Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in the middle of the park.
INEOS wanted Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo to form the bedrock of the team and Ten Hag’s decisions did not please them. With Ruben Amorim among the favourites to take over from the former Dutch boss, there is hope that the Portuguese mastermind can get the best out of the 23-year-old.
Ugarte had played for Amorim for a season and he is highly regarded by the current Sporting Lisbon boss. And keeping in mind Amorim’s penchant for youth development, Ugarte and Mainoo could be United’s go-to midfield partnership moving forward as reported by Givemesport.
“Erik ten Hag’s failure to integrate Manuel Ugarte at Manchester United became a serious concern over the past two months, and potential successor Ruben Amorim is viewed as a perfect candidate to make sure the Uruguayan can live up to his potential at Old Trafford.
Amorim can bring out the best from the Uruguayan
“One of the primary reasons Ugarte was brought in was to forge a dynamic midfield partnership with Kobbie Mainoo. There have been growing concerns within the club that if Mainoo were to partner established players like Casemiro or Eriksen, it would hinder the team’s development as well as the intended strategy for their midfield.
“With Ugarte’s defensive prowess and Mainoo’s creativity and vision, the duo could be pivotal in elevating Manchester United’s performance levels. And the fact Ugarte and Amorim have worked together previously at Sporting is seen as a positive factor beyond Amorim’s other impressive traits as a top-level coach.”
How soon Sir Jim Ratcliffe can land the Sporting manager remains to be seen. There are potential hiccups with regards to the release clause that need navigating.
There have been murmurs that United are eyeing the Chelsea game as Amorim’s first game in charge. It will be interesting to see if that plan pans out.