Manchester United played their best game under Ruben Amorim on Sunday as they battled back to claim a 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield.
The desire and hunger shown by the players on the night were in stark contrast to what the side had produced against Newcastle a week ago.
And that was largely down to the return of Manuel Ugarte to the midfield, who put in an enormous shift without the ball while impressing with his composure on it.
Known more his dirty work, the 23-year-old is starting to show what he can produce on the ball, something that will please the 39-year-old tactician.
Impressive on and off the ball
Signed in the summer, the defensive midfielder was not former manager Erik ten Hag’s intended choice and as a result, he did not receive as much game-time as he would have hoped for.
But The Portuguese coach’s arrival has revitalised Ugarte, who has worked with Amorim in the past during his time at Sporting Lisbon, and as a result knows how the new boss operates.
His performance under testing conditions impressed club legend Paul Scholes, an early doubter of the Uruguay international, who admitted as such after the game.
“Ugarte is going to have to be some player. I think he will play the position well. He’s still 23, he’s had a few clubs which slightly concerns you,” was Scholes’ early assessment of the player. But on Sunday, he was forced to eat his words.
“He’s probably done better than I thought he would do. He [Amorim] said before that Ugarte did well for him at Sporting Lisbon, as a really young player as well so he knows him.
“This lad is really growing in confidence. I thought he took up some great positions, he helped defensively, he helped with the attack and I thought he had the composure to take the ball as well,” Scholes said as relayed by the club.
Scholes praised Ugarte’s ability on the ball
On the ball, Ugarte was successful with his sole cross while he managed to find a teammate with all five of his long balls as he time and again beat the press with his smart passing.
And Scholes claimed Amorim’s trust in Ugarte has brought out the best in him after a disappointing spell with Paris Saint-Germain and now, the coach needs to find him the right partner.
“It looks to me like it has to be him with another. Ugarte and another one are more than capable of playing for that team. And not just Ugarte for his legs… I even think his quality on the ball. It surprised me a little bit because I did see a bit of him at PSG.”
Just like Ugarte, almost all the players have shown their big-game temperament time and again but the real challenge will be to match the same level of intensity in their upcoming game against Southampton. Consistency will be key if the Red Devils are to climb back up the table.
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
