Dutch legend Marco van Basten laid into one of Manchester United’s new additions, branding the signing “idiotic” and claiming he isn’t “even a good player”.
10-man United were badly beaten 3-0 by Spurs on Sunday in one of the team’s worst displays under Erik ten Hag.
Bruno Fernandes’ red card certainly made their task harder but United were woeful long before that and now find themselves 13th in the Premier League after six games.
In midfield, new signing Manuel Ugarte got his first Premier League start after a £42.3 million switch from Paris Saint-Germain.
United concluded their summer business with the capture of the Uruguayan, hoping he would fix their midfield issues and handing him a five-year deal.
After cameos against Southampton and Crystal Palace, Ugarte started alongside Kobbie Mainoo in the middle of the park but had a lot of difficulty.
And two-time Ballon d’Or winner Van Basten did not mince his words whatsoever, providing a scathing assessment of United’s decision to sign Ugarte.
Image: Getty
Speaking to Ziggo Sport, he fumed: “I saw a new player walking around at Manchester United, (Manuel) Ugarte, for €50 million (£42.3m). How is this guy walking around there? It’s idiotic how much (Ten Hag) has decided to invest in players who are not even good.”
Signed as a midfield destroyer, Ugarte looked off the pace and struggled to keep up with Spurs before being taken off in the 73rd minute for Christian Eriksen.
It’s early days but there is the feeling that Ugarte might not be the answer to United’s problems.
But there are worries across the board, with Van Basten even claiming United do not have a single “top player” and that “nobody carries” the side.
He continued: “Name me one top player at Manchester United? At every club you see a top player. (Marcus) Rashford is very bad. Bruno Fernandes is a good player, (Andre) Onana is a good goalkeeper. That’s it. Casemiro is done. (Alejandro) Garnacho is a decent player. But nobody carries that team.”
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