Exclusive Interview with Gus Poyet: The Uruguay Special - Ugarte's move to Man Utd; Valverde amazed by Real Madrid; the loss of Suarez, a true fighter

Poyet expressed his admiration for the player's personality, describing him as a true defensive central midfielder. However, Poyet questioned whether it was the ideal time for him to join Manchester United. Despite uncertainty, Poyet emphasized the player's need for a change. In the past year, there were numerous speculations about his potential move to England, with Chelsea being a prominent contender.

The small country of Uruguay has an incredible ability to produce brilliant footballers. Gus Poyet was one of them and knowing full well what it takes to be a midfielder in the Premier League from his time at both Chelsea and Tottenham, what does he expect from Manchester United’s latest acquisition, Manuel Ugarte?AdvertisementAdvertisement

“But now he has this opportunity to jump into a team that has done a little bit better in the last couple of games and that's important. Sometimes you get to a team that is doing badly.

"One player can make a difference if we're talking about Messi. When you're a defensive centre midfielder, to make an impact, wow,” says Poyet, who ultimately believes Ugarte will prove an asset for Man United.

“He has the qualities, but it seems a lot of people thinks he is coming to replace Casemiro. Casemiro has played every game, I cannot see a complete exchange. So, can you play with both? We need to wait and see,” Poyet adds of a player who was in the starting line-up for Uruguay in all six games during the Copa America this summer.

Valverde a dream player

So did Fede Valverde, and if Poyet likes Ugarte, he is practically in awe of the star of Real Madrid's midfield. 

“He's unbelievable! I'm in love with him. It’s the most, most, most incredible thing playing for Real Madrid for so many years and taking so many responsibilities and adapting to different positions and being as humble as he is. It's unbelievable how nice he is. 

“He understands the game, he has stamina, he's always ready to help. You need goals, he plays like a forward and scores goals. You need him to run on the right side, he will run up and down on the right side. You need a number six; he will play as a number six. He is a dream player for any coach," praises Poyet, who wasn’t aware of the 26-year-old before he arrived at Real Madrid in 2016.

“I first saw him in a few games for Real Madrid and you think, OK, hmm. Then I saw him adapting, and now I have a few clips that I show to players about the way he runs. It looks like he doesn't touch the ground, it’s, like he's in the air, and you're thinking, how is that possible? He’s a pleasure and I’m very proud to have in the Uruguayan team," Poyet states.

Nobody replaces Suarez

No more in the national team is Luis Suarez who recently bid farewell with his 143rd cap. With 69 goals for La Celeste, what kind of legacy does he leave behind?

“You cannot compare him with anyone. He was unique. He represented Uruguay in everything all over the world. I know people only look at the negatives of Luis Suarez, but the ones who understand football knows.

"What you have got to understand about Suarez is, that he will fight for everything he can during contract negotiations. Everything. Whatever he can take, he will take.

“Then, when he gets his contract, he puts it away, and his sole focus from then on is winning on Saturday or whenever the next game is. That's what you need. Not a player who wants to renegotiate every two weeks. With the contract sorted, Suarez is desperate to play, desperate to perform, desperate to score. It's not going to be possible to replace him.”

Bielsa revolution

After a third-place finish at the Copa America, the Marcelo Bielsa revolution in Uruguay seem to have stalled a bit, but Poyet puts that down to the suspensions following crowd trouble at the Copa.

“They improved dramatically when Bielsa came in and the Copa America was okay. With the suspensions we had two bad games.

"We're talking about big players missing. Let's hope that it gets back because it is a completely different way of playing football than people were used to watch from Uruguay.”

Gus Poyet was speaking Tribalfootball on behalf of William Hill