25% aerial duels won, 11x possession lost, 0 crosses: United star continues to be a seriously weak link, time for INEOS to cut their losses

Manchester United were made to pay for their atrocious first half as Leeds United grabbed a famous 2-1 win at Old Trafford on Monday night. Michael Carrick suffered his first loss at Old Trafford, and the result was deserved given the abysmal start by the hosts. They looked rusty, having last played 24 days ago, while the visitors reached the FA Cup semi-finals last week. The caretaker head coach’s selection calls were questionable to say the least, with both centre-backs, Lisandro Martinez and Leny Yoro, enduring a night to forget. Starting Ugarte was the wrong call With Kobbie Mainoo injured, Carrick turned to Manuel Ugarte to start alongside Casemiro in the middle of the park. It was clearly the wrong call. The Uruguayan continues to look a liability with the ball at his feet, as seen from his poor passing stats. StatValue Goals0 Expected Goals (xG)0.22 Assists0 Expected Assists (xA)0.01 Key Passes0 Crosses (Accurate)1 (0) Accurate Passes45/52 (87%) Passes in Opposition Half (Acc.)24/30 (80%) Passes in Own Half (Acc.)21/22 (95%) Long Balls (Accurate)1/3 (33%) Total Shots2 Shots on Target0 Shots Blocked2 Touches78 Unsuccessful Touches2 Dribbles (Successful)1 (0) Was Fouled3 Possession Lost11 Total Carrying Distance108.4 m Carries13 Progressive Carries1 Total Progression42.9 m Progressive Carrying Distance32.7 m Longest Progressive Carry25.1 m Defensive Contributions11 Tackles (Won)3 (3) Interceptions2 Clearances3 Blocked Shots3 Recoveries1 Ground Duels (Won)9 (6) Aerial Duels (Won)4 (1) Fouls2 Dribbled Past0 stats via sofascore The 25-year-old misplaced 20% of his forward passes, and completed zero dribbles and crosses while also not managing a single key pass. He was poor when it came to protecting the ball under pressure, losing it on 11 occasions, as Leeds players swarmed as soon as the former Paris Saint-Germain ace had the ball. Struggled with and without the ball The South American will argue he was brought in to add steel at the base of the midfield, but even there, he was not adequate. Manuel Ugarte won only 25% of his aerial duels, and he also lost more than 33% of his ground duels (all stats via sofascore). The Uruguay international did look better when the hosts were reduced to 10 men, but by then, the damage was done. United have won only once when Manuel Ugarte has started this season, and that tells its own story. Signed as Casemiro’s successor, the United No.25 has been one of INEOS’ worst buys. Significantly limited with the ball, and yet to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League, it is time for the 20-time English league champions to cut him loose in the summer. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25