Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has conceded that Manuel Ugarte may take "months" to get up to full speed following the Red Devils' 3-0 Premier League loss to Liverpool.
After weeks upon weeks of speculation and negotiations, the Uruguay international was finally confirmed as the Red Devils' final summer recruit in the final hours of transfer deadline day.
Ugarte followed Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee to Old Trafford following just one season at Paris Saint-Germain, who received an initial £42.1m for his sale.
The 23-year-old quickly became a regular starter for PSG boss Luis Enrique last season, but despite falling out of favour in the second half of the campaign, he was a consistent presence in Uruguay's Copa America XI.
However, Ugarte did not feature in PSG's opening games of the new season due to the transfer speculation, and as he was not registered by 12pm on Friday, he was not eligible to make his Man United debut against Liverpool.
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Ten Hag: 'I am not Harry Potter'
Instead, Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo formed a familiar midfield pairing, but the former - who Ugarte is expected to succeed at Old Trafford - was at fault for both of Luis Diaz's first-half goals.
The Brazil international was taken off at the break for the young Toby Collyer, but Ten Hag's men were still on the ropes in the second half, as Mohamed Salah put the icing on the cake.
Having also lost to Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend, Man United go into the international break on the back of successive losses, and Ten Hag referenced Harry Potter when lamenting his squad's fitness levels, admitting that Ugarte might take "months" to get up to 100%.
"It's just the third game in the season, we have to build a new team. We have young players, we had three players making their first start of the season, they didn't play 90 minutes," The Sun quotes Ten Hag as saying.
"With Ugarte, we have to build him into the team. It will take time, so it's not like I'm Harry Potter. That is what you have to acknowledge. And if you see Manuel Ugarte, he didn't play so far in the season. Not one match minute.
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Ten Hag "confident" of silverware despite Liverpool beatdown
"So he needs to build his fitness rate and then we have to build him in the team and I am sure he will contribute to our level and he will be an important player but that will take a couple of weeks, maybe even months.
"And it counts for more players. Joshua Zirkzee, he made big steps the last three or four weeks, I am very pleased with his performance today but I didn't expect this four weeks ago.
"It was the first start of De Ligt, first start of Zirkzee, also for Alejandro Garnacho this season. We still have some players not available. We will be fine but it is clear we have to improve.
"In two years, we took two prizes and in the end of the season I am quite confident we will have a big chance to lift another. The opponent is probably a little bit further in certain areas but we will catch up and come back."
Man United's first game back after the international break sees the Red Devils pit their wits against Southampton on September 14, three days before they meet Barnsley in the EFL Cup third round.
Ben Knapton
