Posession lost 11x but his nation’s ‘best player’: Maligned United man draws mixed reviews on int’l duty

Manuel Ugarte is yet to make a lasting impact on the Manchester United faithful after his first five appearances in red.

The midfielder arrived on deadline day in August after a summer-long pursuit from the Red Devils, with a deal in the region of £50.7 million eventually being agreed with Paris Saint-Germain. They had opted to omit Ugarte from Luis Enrique’s squad for the opening matches of the Ligue 1 campaign under the impression that he’d be completing a move elsewhere.

And that he did. Whilst unable to feature in the fixture, Ugarte was unveiled to supporters at Old Trafford prior to the side’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool. His debut came in the closing stages of United’s win over Southampton on September 14 before he was granted his maiden start in the Carabao Cup tie versus Barnsley just three days later.

Vying with the likes of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen for a starting spot alongside fan-favourite Kobbie Mainoo, the 23-year-old has struggled to put a convincing case forward as to why he should make the starting 11 after the break. 

He has added some much-needed minutes to the tank at international level, though, having featured for Uruguay in their World Cup qualifier on Friday night – albeit out of his usual comfort zone, as Marcelo Bielsa decided to deploy Ugarte at centre-half for the tie.

An 88th-minute goal for Peru extended the Uruguayans’ worrying winless streak (in regular time) to seven matches in all competitions, consequently leaving them third-placed in qualifying.

How the Uruguayan media reacted to Ugarte’s showing

Ugarte, meanwhile, drew mixed reviews for his performance throughout his 90-minute shift. He lost possession 11 times overall but won six out of his eight ground duels and three out of five aerial duels. He also completed 71 out of his 80 passes attempted while making two interceptions, one block and one clearance, per GiveMeSport.

El Pais gave the Red a 4/10 rating, stating: “Although he relied heavily on a play in which he gave a dangerous pass inside the area after recovering the ball, he won the individual duels in an unusual position. A lot of sacrifice. Sometimes, he took too many risks, and that played a bad trick on him in the second half.”

On the other hand, El Observador gave him a glowing 8/10 rating and review. The outlet wrote: “Uruguay’s best player, not only for the way he defended, for how he treated the ball, but for his attitude throughout the game.

“He played as a free agent in the back three. He imposed his style of play, going out with the ball at his feet. At 22 minutes, in a dead ball near the Peruvian area, he appeared at the first post and connected with a header that went wide. At the end of the first half, in Uruguay’s worst moment, he lost a ball that created a dangerous situation on the sky blue goal and the same Manchester United midfielder corrected his error with a good close. From the back, he tried to lead the team forward.”