The pair had been interim Ruud van Nistelrooy's preferred choice in midfield for all four of his games whilst in charge since the sacking of Erik ten Hag.
This midfield selection was made easier due to injuries to Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount and Christian Eriksen meaning that the only options left for those pivot positions were the South American duo.
However, while that decision may have been thrown onto Ruud, perhaps we have stumbled upon something.
When Ugarte came in, many (including myself) saw him as the successor to Casemiro's CDM throne at Man Utd. The Brazilian had been off form all of last season nor has he been anywhere near the level of what he showed in his first campaign so far this.
His performance against Liverpool was diabolical as he gave up 2 goals in that 3-0 defeat earlier this season at Old Trafford. Then manager Erik ten Hag even substituted the 32-year-old at halftime due to those errors.
The Dutchman then proceeded to bench the Brazilian for a prolonged period.
However, under the interim Ruud van Nistelrooy, not only has he been a regular in the first team, Casemiro seems to have found himself again. He's playing with a smile on his face and a swagger to his game.
Casemiro looks to be back and even scored 2 goals in the 5-2 win over Leicester in the Carabao Cup. His performances are what have been surprising because in that win, we saw a completely different midfielder, just one game after ten Hag's sacking.
Perhaps the departure of his former manager had something to do with this upturn in form.
There were murmurs that Casemiro and ten Hag apparently had a fallout at some point in the season and whether that was correct of the two of them or not, Casemiro was playing at a level that simply wasn't good enough and warranted the drop.
Now though, he cannot be although he did pick up an injury towards the end of the 3-0 win over Leicester on Sunday. Luckily, he does have the international break to recover but it remains to be seen how severe his problem is.
But one of the reasons as to why it looked like he lost form and why he may have fallen out with the previous manager is because he was being exposed in midfield.
Many felt that Casemiro was being left alone in the centre of the park and had no help from any of his team-mates due to ten Hag's system. With him seemingly losing his legs in terms of that running power and ability to cover ground, this system of pushing the front four and CM forward while leaving the CDM by himself was always going to be very difficult for someone like Casemiro.
So in bringing in a player like Ugarte, he was seen as someone that should the two of them play together, be the man who could be the 'legs' for our Brazilian. He could cover that ground that Casemiro no longer can allowing the former Real Madrid player to have some of the work load reduced and can even help the team going forward.
These past four games have shown just that as the South American duo have been almost unbreakable in midfield with their performance against Leicester this past Sunday being their best and one of the best midfield performances we've seen at United in a while.
Post that win, Casemiro said this regarding his new midfield partner:
"I have a good connection with him. When one goes forward, the other covers, and vice versa. That is how it has to be, one compliments the other. I think the other games have been like this."
"He is a great person. Then, little by little he is also showing that he is a national team player from Uruguay, from a team that has good players. Then he has total respect, not only mine, but all the players."
The Brazilian compliments his South American counterpart saying that the two of them have developed that understanding of when one goes forward, the other covers. As we've seen, that is exactly what's happened as Casemiro has been involved in some attacks for United.
Ugarte then covered for him as he won 8 tackles against Leicester which no MUFC player had done in a Premier League game since data records began.
This shows how dominant he was in midfield en route to what for many was a man of the match display. Hopefully a sign of things to come with his former manager now the boss at United.
Ugarte has also been much improved now that he's had a run of games in the team which is something that all players need. Finding that rhythm is always difficult when you're not regularly in the side.
That is another area where I think Erik ten Hag failed as he never gave Ugarte that regular run-in in the team along with leaving Casemiro exposed.
With Amorim, he likes to play a holding midfielder with a partner who is good on the ball, a player who can pass well and drive with it. That isn't necessarily either of Ugarte or Casemiro but given his previous with the Uruguayan and the fact that he is much younger than Casemiro, I think there is more of a chance that Ugarte will play CDM than the Brazilian.
But one thing we've seen with Casemiro since joining United is that he is a threat going forward. His passing is sometimes superb as well in that is allows us to get in behind (his ball to Dalot who assisted Garnacho for the third goal at Southampton was class) and he gets on the end of a lot of crosses, and of course scores goals. He has 15 goals and 9 assists in 99 matches since joining in 22/23. Not bad for a CDM.
So maybe that is something that Amorim can look at when it comes to Casemiro.
The two of them together recently has also shown that if there are games where the manager feels he needs to be a bit more robust in midfield, he has the option of Casemiro and Ugarte. The two of them have developed quite the relationship and understanding in these four matches.
However, with a few other midfielders in the ranks and returning from injury, it remains to be seen what Ruben Amorim will do regarding his midfield and indeed, team overall.
But I do like this relationship between our South American midfielders. Their understanding has been great and if they continue to perform like they are and provide that extra defensive protection, I don't see any reason to change it, at least for now.
Mainoo, Mount and Eriksen are all back which gives Amorim a bit of a selection headache in terms of picking who best suits his midfield.
I don't think he'll mind that headache.
But who do you think best fits Ruben Amorim's ideal midfield at United?
Background Image: Casemiro | Creator: Nathan Stirk | Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2024 Getty Images via Man Utd News
Manuel Ugarte | Image credit: Getty Images via Goal