Man United U-turn on £51m player’s future after Carrick appointment as league leaders actively monitoring

Manchester United chiefs are looking to give Michael Carrick the best possible opportunity of securing Champions League qualification by the season’s end.While that’s unlikely to include January signings this time around, it will entail keeping hold of all the key members of the first team.The likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Joshua Zirkzee and Manuel Ugarte all faced uncertain futures heading into the winter window, yet now look set to stay put – even if, for some, it is just until the summer.Manuel Ugarte: What’s been said about his future?(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)Ugarte, for example, has garnered interest in the build-up to the window opening, with Galatasaray firm admirers of the defensive midfielder.Previously, it was claimed United would be open to facilitating the 24-year-old’s departure just 17 months after signing him in a £50.5 million deal from Paris Saint-Germain, especially when he had fallen out of favour under Ruben Amorim.A new report from Turkish journalist Erol Evcen states United aren’t ‘keen’ on allowing him to leave on loan this month. At the moment, Galatasaray are yet to return with a new proposal. 🚨 Manchester United, devre arasında Manuel Ugarte’nin kiralık satışına sıcak bakmıyor. @spordepormedya Galatasaray’dan yeni bir teklif şuanlık yok. — Erol Evcen (@ErolEvcenn) January 26, 2026Why Ugarte might be made to contemplate a summer Old Trafford exit(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)With United now out of both cup competitions and Kobbie Mainoo restored to his rightful starting spot alongside Casemiro, Ugarte faces an uphill battle for game time in the second half of 2025/2026. Appearances Starts Minutes played 16 7 735 *Ugarte in the league this seasonSince Michael Carrick took the reins, the Uruguayan has featured for just nine minutes in total via a brief cameo in the closing stages of the side’s emphatic Manchester derby triumph last week.For Sunday’s equally enthralling win over Arsenal, Ugarte was an unused substitute for the seventh time this term.Presumably, the club will keep him around for depth until May, when they will then look for a suitor who wants to buy him out of his 2029 contract.