Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim should be delighted with what he saw from Manuel Ugarte while on international duty.
The Red Devils managed to overhaul their attacking department in the summer, while also addressing their goalkeeping woes by signing Senne Lammens on deadline day. However, the middle of the park remained almost intact from last season, with no new additions made to the squad.
United were hoping to recruit Carlos Baleba, but Brighton warded them off by requesting a figure north of £100 million. INEOS were then linked with other midfielders, like Conor Gallagher, Angelo Stiller and Lucien Agoume, but none of them had ever come close to sealing a move to Man Utd.
Man United failed to strengthen the middle of the park
Since the start of the season, Amorim has made it clear that Kobbie Mainoo will be vying for the No.8 role with club captain Bruno Fernandes, while Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte compete for the holding-midfielder spot.
While Bruno was always going to overcome competition from the young Englishman, the battle between Casemiro and Ugarte raised many eyebrows, as the Brazilian veteran has had the upper hand over the younger Uruguayan.
The 24-year-old arrived at Carrington last summer, completing a £40 million transfer from PSG, but hasn’t had quite the impact that Man Utd fans were expecting, even after being reunited with his old Sporting CP manager, Amorim, who joined the club last November. Nevertheless, Ugarte has taken the opportunity to show what he’s capable of producing while on international duty.
Manuel Ugarte shows glimpses of a dominant holding midfielder
Similar to his status at Man Utd, Ugarte started the World Cup qualifier between Uruguay and Peru on the bench. However, he managed to encapsulate his entire skillset in one fabulous play that culminated in his team’s third goal.
🐃 ¡𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗥𝗢!#ElEquipoQueNosUne pic.twitter.com/2FEy4j75F4
— Selección Uruguaya (@Uruguay) September 5, 2025
The Man United star regained possession in the middle of the park after outmuscling his opponent, and then charged towards Peru’s box with a blistering run, before teeing off Brian Rodriguez, who produced the assist for Federico Vinas.
While this is certainly an encouraging sign from the former PSG star, his physical condition has been a topic of discussion at Man Utd, as he seems to struggle to deliver a consistent outing when playing 90 minutes or so.
