Can Manuel Ugarte FINALLY help Man United fix their midfield problems? With the £51m man upending his new team-mates in the stats and Casemiro struggling, Erik ten Hag is ready to unleash his new star this weekend

Manchester United hope they finally have the answer.

After years of midfield woes and opponents cutting through them in the centre of the pitch, Erik ten Hag’s last hope rests on the shoulders of a 6ft 3in Uruguayan reportedly worth £51million.

Casemiro hasn’t worked. His Old Trafford nightmare culminated just under two weeks ago when he was substituted at half-time against arch-rivals Liverpool for 20-year-old Toby Collyer, having been at fault for the two goals up to that point.

Kobbie Mainoo’s progress has been a welcome development that has saved United millions of pounds, but gaps have remained as the teenager has pushed back the shadows left by his five-time Champions League-winning partner.

Step forward, Manuel Ugarte.

The midfielder joined the Red Devils from Paris Saint-Germain on the final day for £51million

He is moved into United’s starting midfield as a replacement for Casemiro (right)

There was more relief than excitement among United fans when Ugarte’s move from Paris Saint-Germain to Old Trafford was confirmed, and a small amount of hope that their midfield woes would finally be solved.

Red Devils fans know by now that money does not equal success. Casemiro, who cost £60m and earned £375,000 a week, is proof of that.

Ten Hag confirmed that the 23-year-old will be available for this weekend’s match against Southampton, a change of heart after he expressed doubts about his new player’s fitness earlier this month.

“We all saw Manuel Ugarte playing for Uruguay. He returned this afternoon and he was the only player who returned today. All the others returned yesterday, so he is available for this match,” he said.

During the international break he played 79 minutes for Uruguay in their World Cup qualifier against Paraguay, and four days later he would start and this time play the full 90 minutes in the draw with Venezuela.

Perhaps Ten Hag has made a mistake and has now seen that his new signing is ready and raring to go. Mail Sport has reported that Ugarte is indeed in line to start. His Dutch boss doesn’t seem the type to swallow his pride, mind you.

He now faces the decision of whether to drop Casemiro from the team, which would undoubtedly increase his already decimated confidence tenfold, or to bring Ugarte into the team.

He might get away with it this weekend. Their opponents, though new to the competition, will have a lot of possession. They always do. So Casemiro will have to play his game if he is not in action.

Erik ten Hag (pictured) had suggested that Ugarte was still some way off being ready to start

He played 80 and 90 minutes for Uruguay respectively in the international period, but

Casemiro is trailing his new team-mate in the statistics and was taken off at half-time against Liverpool last time

In terms of statistics since the start of last season, Ugarte is far from the man he will replace. He has completed more passes per 90 minutes (56.4 to 51.9) with a higher suggestion rate (91.5 percent to 82.3 percent), has more progressive carries per 90 (6.2 to 5.1), has won more tackles per 90 (4.6 to 3.8) and has won possession more times per 90 (8.4 to 6.0).

It is a clear upgrade if Ten Hag is prepared to use him. His performance for Uruguay against Venezuela suggests it is time and, judging by the events at Old Trafford on Sunday, there may be no other option.

Compared to the man likely to be his new partner, Mainoo, Ugarte completes significantly more passes per 90 minutes (56.4 versus 35.2), meaning he will have to be the one to carry the burden of possession when it comes to United’s pivot.

But he also holds a comfortable lead when it comes to tackles per 90 minutes (4.6 vs. 2.3), interceptions per 90 minutes (1.9 vs. 1.4) and possession won per 90 minutes (8.4 vs. 4.7).

When comparing him to Christian Eriksen, he is again better in terms of tackles, interceptions and possession gained (1.4, 0.3, 6.9) and he is even ahead in the passing stats – 56.4 passes completed per 90 against 50.1 and 91.5 percent accuracy against 84.0 percent.

Mason Mount isn’t even a competitor. Ugarte has almost double the number of passes per 90 (56.4 vs. 28.9) and his defensive numbers are so good that it’s not even worth comparing.

Ugarte is, apart from Bruno Fernandes, essentially United’s best midfielder already, and he hasn’t even touched a ball yet.

Ugarte could make his debut against Southampton, although Ten Hag may be cautious about when he fields his new man

United fans have reason to be encouraged by their reservations. They’ve seen it all before, with the evidence that things can go wrong still before their eyes, week after week in a red number 18 shirt.

If he is smart, Ten Hag should make the change now and replace Casemiro with Ugarte against Southampton. It may take him a while to get up to speed with what is being asked of him, but United are desperate now.

Ugarte isn’t quite the destroyer United had hoped for, but he is a man they needed. Gary Neville had said his former team had gone from looking for a partner for Casemiro to looking for a replacement. They may have found him.