Linked to Turkey: £42m man now has one final shot at saving his Man Utd career vs Aston Villa

Manchester United are set for a tough trip to Villa Park to face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Villans are in superb form, climbing into the third spot in the league table.

Man United currently languish in sixth spot after missing multiple opportunities to move into the top five over the last few weeks.

United manager Ruben Amorim will be highly concerned by four players already ruled out of the clash.

Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui are now with their respective national sides for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Casemiro picked up his seventh yellow (fifth individual) card of the season in the 4-4 draw against Bournemouth and will now serve a one-game suspension.

Final opportunity for Manuel Ugarte

Amorim will now be forced to recall Manuel Ugarte into the starting XI for Casemiro.

Ugarte has featured in ten Premier League games this campaign, but has started only twice.

He has been an unused substitute in four of the last five contests, playing for only 13 minutes against West Ham United.

The 24-year-old moved to Old Trafford from Paris Saint-Germain for an initial fee of £42 million in the summer of 2024.

He struggled in his debut campaign but many expected him to use that experience and show his worth this season.

Unfortunately, Ugarte has failed to live up to those expectations.

He is an aggressive ball-winner but his lack of ability with the ball at his feet is concerning.

He also tends to leave his position too often to press, allowing the opposition to make inroads by beating him.

With the winter transfer window only a fortnight away, United could cash in on him and sign a new midfielder if a market opportunity arises.

He is already generating significant transfer interest from Turkey.

Stats from Fotmob.com

Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .