Mount trains extra to drop deep and succeed Casemiro! United willing to sell Ugarte at a small loss, as he may already be the fifth-choice substitute.

Manchester United want a full midfield rebuild in the summer, and the decision on one existing player will decide if that plan comes to fruition. Selling Uruguayan international Manuel Ugarte would open the door for a third midfield addition, otherwise only two might arrive.

The 25-year-old Ugarte came with great anticipation, yet his displays have been a complete letdown. Since Carrick took over, the €60 million signing has started only once, a match United lost to a 10-man Leeds United, and he hasn't featured since.

Ugarte claims he had already focused entirely on preparing for the World Cup. In the two group games he played for Uruguay, he indeed performed better than at United—hitting the woodwork in the first and delivering a precise diagonal pass to set up a goal in the second. However, this isn't enough to attract potential buyers; he needs to show even more.

Ugarte has struggled to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League and is considered unsuited to English football. The clubs most likely to pursue him are from Europe, such as Galatasaray in Turkey or AC Milan in Italy. But his transfer fee and wages are also key factors in whether he can leave successfully.

United hope to get £30 million (€35 million) for Ugarte, a significant drop from the price they paid Paris Saint-Germain. The total cost to sign Ugarte was €60 million, of which €50 million (£43 million) was fixed.

AC Milan, coached by Rúben Amorim, has already rejected a broker's proposal to sell Ugarte for £30 million. Under the Premier League's PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules), United need to sell for £25 million (€30 million) to avoid a loss.

However, after successfully selling academy product Garnacho to Chelsea for £40 million last year, along with other youth sales, United can afford to take a small loss on Ugarte. Keeping him would cost £120,000 per week in wages, amounting to £6 million annually, and under Carrick he might only be the fifth-choice option with limited playing time.

Kobbie Mainoo, after signing a new contract, is definitely the future core of United and locks down one defensive midfield spot in the 4-2-3-1. United have also secured Ederson from Atalanta for £39 million (€45 million), who has completed his medical and is only awaiting official announcement. The club is also pursuing Portuguese 21-year-old defensive midfielder Mateus Fernandes from West Ham. All three are ahead of Ugarte in the pecking order.

Furthermore, at the end of last season, Carrick experimented with dropping Mason Mount deeper, and it worked quite well. United's No.7 knows that securing a place in the squad next season will be an even tougher challenge. During the World Cup break, Mount made full use of his summer time by traveling to Chatham Town, a seventh-tier Kent club, for voluntary fitness training to prepare early for the new campaign.

For Mount, competing with captain Bruno Fernandes for the No.10 role is nearly impossible. The Portuguese midfielder is an ironman who rarely needs rest, so Mount might opt to drop deeper, aiming to fill the late-scoring role that Casemiro played last season and become a box-to-box midfielder with a scoring knack.

In an ideal world, United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe would also like to sell Mount this summer, because after returning to the Champions League, the 27-year-old English midfielder's weekly wage is a staggering £250,000. But United paid £60 million to Chelsea for him, with £55 million fixed, making a sale this summer very difficult.

If Mount remains at United next season, the club hopes he can contribute more goals and reduce his time on the sidelines due to injuries. Carrick believes that, excluding wage considerations, Mount still has a chance to play an important role at United. He feels Mount's positional flexibility will help the team achieve better results while competing on four fronts.