Ugarte returns to Manchester United on crutches to recover, smiling at season-ending injury! Young midfielder could transfer for 1.2 million

Manuel Ugarte, who tore his left knee ACL during the World Cup, arrived back at Manchester United's Carrington training base this week. The 25-year-old Uruguayan holding midfielder is wearing a leg brace and using crutches. His teammates, such as Amad Diallo, offered support in person and online. On social media, Ugarte inspired himself by saying: "Rehab, rebuild, rise."

Manchester United's medical staff will closely monitor Ugarte's recovery, and his girlfriend Georgia Mejias is also by his side. During the holiday, Ugarte met with former United Uruguayan winger Facundo Pellistri, smiling broadly, at least showing a very optimistic mood. Ugarte has been injured for more than 28 days, and from now on, his salary will be covered by FIFA compensation, which can last up to one year.

After undergoing ACL surgery in mid-July, Ugarte requires 9 to 12 months of rehabilitation to return to normal, plus an additional month of training to regain match fitness after a long layoff. This means his 2026/27 season is already over. The next Premier League season ends on May 30, 2027, and the Champions League final is scheduled for June 5, which is only 10 months away.

Manchester United had hoped to offload Ugarte this summer, using his transfer fee to help bring in new signings, but his serious injury and surgery dashed the potential move to Serie A. The Uruguayan midfielder has a contract with United until 2029, with a one-season option to extend, but after a year without playing, selling him next summer might be difficult. Loaning him out might be the realistic option then.

This summer, Manchester United have already brought in two new midfielders, Andre Santos and Youri Tielemans. Despite Ugarte's injury absence, youth academy youngster Dan Gore still cannot secure a place in the first team. After playing in the first two warm-up matches, he has been sent back to the U21 squad. That is not his final destination; a transfer away is what he needs.

British media reveal that Carrick may sell the 21-year-old Gore to his former club Middlesbrough. It is reported that Championship side Boro will pay a transfer fee of £1.2 million for the United youth talent, plus a 20% sell-on clause.

Toby Collier is another youth academy midfielder leaving Manchester United this summer. The 22-year-old also wants to play first-team football. If United had confirmed their new midfield signings earlier, he would have left the club already. However, once Carrick knows his options for next season, Collier's future will be resolved. Sources say Collier believes he will definitely succeed after his transfer.

The situation of 18-year-old striker Chido Obi is quite interesting. After coming on as a substitute in the first two warm-up matches, he was not included in Carrick's squad again, which clearly suggests his future prospects are not optimistic. The Danish youngster has been assigned to continue playing U21 matches, and he is considered to have many areas for improvement. Notably, Obi needs constant coaching during youth games, with someone almost always shouting his name from the sidelines, which has led to mockery.

Earlier this summer, there were rumors that Bundesliga side Cologne were interested in loaning Obi, but these reports were later confirmed to be false. According to British media, Manchester United prefer to loan Obi out to give him experience, but if a reasonable offer comes in, they do not rule out selling him outright.

The development of left-back Diego Leon, who joined Manchester United for £7 million, has also not gone as smoothly as expected. Therefore, loaning him abroad next season seems the best option. Leon was introduced alongside Mbeumo, Cunha, and Sesko, but in the second half of last season, he only played youth team games. This summer, Leon was not called up to the first team at all, and Carrick is clearly unsatisfied with his abilities.