Maligned United man concedes that he lacks ‘certain things’ after losing possession 11x on int’l duty

Manuel Ugarte has added some much-needed minutes to the tank over the international break following a turbulent start to his Manchester United tenure.

He has, however, had to navigate being played in a completely new role by Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa. 

The Uruguayans took on Peru on Saturday night in a World Cup qualifier at the Estadio Nacional and after a cagey affair, they proceeded to extend their concerning winless streak to seven matches (in regular time) across all competitions when the hosts secured the win in the 88th minute. As a result, Bielsa and his men now rank third in qualifying. 

Ugarte was, surprisingly, deployed at centre-half for the tie, during which he played the full 90 minutes. Having spent the entirety of United’s last two matches – against FC Porto and Aston Villa – on the bench, featuring throughout the break was crucial for Erik ten Hag to see how he fared.

It remains to be seen if the 23-year-old will return to his comfort zone when his nation takes on Ecuador in the early hours of Wednesday morning, but if not, it won’t be doing United any favours. He’s unlikely to ever really be utilised in the backline at Old Trafford, especially given his recent admission over how much he lacks. 

The makeshift defender lost possession 11 times in total, although he did win six out of his eight ground duels and three out of his five aerial duels. Ugarte also completed 71 out of 80 passes attempted and made two interceptions, one block and one clearance.

Ugarte’s honest post-match admission

He’s since made it clear he’s been occupying uncertain territory when at the back, though, and has all but asked Bielsa to reconsider his decision when he goes back to the drawing board in preparation for this week’s fixture.

Reacting to the team’s performance as a whole, he told ESPN: “We did not play well. It was a shame because I still believe that we are much better, but the match was ugly for us.

“Little by little we faded, and we did not show good things in the match.”

When further pressed on how felt as though he conducted himself as centre-half, Ugarte honestly admitted: “Honestly, I felt good with the ball, but I lack certain things as a defender.”