Gary Neville names £50.8m Man United star who 'will leave' this summer - leaving them in need of a big-money rebuild as Casemiro exits too

Gary Neville has singled out uneven defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte to leave Man United this summer as the club faces a major rebuild in midfield with the departure of Casemiro .

The former Real Madrid star opened the scoring for Man United in their 3-1 win against Aston Villa on Sunday, underlining his importance for the club this season in their toughest tests.

But Casemiro will leave Old Trafford at the end of the Premier League season after the club opted not to trigger the midfielder's one-year contract extension.

By contrast, Ugarte has struggled since his £50.8million move to Manchester from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2024, and has failed to start once under interim manager Michael Carrick .

'United need two central midfield players in the summer,' Neville shared on his Sky Sports podcast on Monday. ‘In the last summer transfer window, they rebuilt their forward line with Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to go along with the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo , and that’s really starting to hum and purr and you can see real goals and real threat.

‘Manchester United didn’t score enough goals last season and that’s an absolute no-no here, you have to score goals, so they’ve corrected that. Bruno Fernandes creating and even Mason Mount I’d throw into that when he’s fit.

Manuel Ugarte is thought to be heading for the exit at Old Trafford after two middling seasons

‘There does look to be good options up top but the centre of midfield is a problem.’

Among the candidates thought to be under consideration at the club are young stars such as Nottingham Forest's Eliot Anderson, and Brighton's Carlos Baleba, who was the subject of intense but thwarted interest last summer.

But neither of the two talents have the same stature as former Champions League winner Casemiro, whose boots could prove hard to fill on the red side of Manchester.

Neville underscored how important Casemiro, and midfield partner Kobbie Mainoo - back in the starting XI after a prolonged absence under former manager Ruben Amorim - have been for Man United's midfield this season, but warned that while the club is light on games for now, there will be more need for strength in depth next term.

‘They’re going to need three or four really good central midfielders,' Neville reiterated. 'At the moment, they’ve got Mainoo who you can buy into, but you can’t really look at any of the others and think that’s going to work.

'Casemiro is leaving and I think Ugarte will leave so they need two really good central midfield players. Probably one that’s more positional, maybe like a Michael Carrick-type, and one that is more of a destroyer.

‘Basically, they need those two players and that’s the next area of focus.

Casemiro's departure will hit harder after the midfielder has experienced a resurgence in form

‘I do think the back needs looking at but I think the midfield will be the real focus in the summer transfer window.’

Ugarte has failed to settle during his two seasons working under first Erik ten Hag, then Amorim before Carrick's appointment, and has often been the subject of criticism from fans and pundits alike.

Man United are thought to have entertained a loan move for the midfielder as recently as January, with Galatasaray believed to be interested - although ultimately Ugarte stayed in England.

Calls for Casemiro and Man United to reverse the decision publicised last month grew only stronger after Sunday's match, but Carrick tamped down speculation that anything was set to change in his post-match press conference.

‘When something is decided, in some ways, the fact that it’s decided makes things a little bit easier and everyone understands the situation really,' the temporary boss said. ‘I think the impact he’s had has been terrific, certainly since I’ve been here and working with him, and his influence in the team and big moments in goals.

‘And I think it was a nice moment at the end there with the supporters, and having that connection and the respect.

‘That was a nice moment and I think he’ll enjoy that.’