‘On the toughest days…’: Man Utd man reflects on ‘difficult’ season ahead of near-certain summer sale

Manuel Ugarte has expressed his gratitude to his family and partner for helping him through a ‘difficult’ season.It comes ahead of a summer transfer window in which the midfielder looks nailed-on to leave Manchester United.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL STRETTY NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES & BREAKING NEWS – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYWhy Ugarte will consider 2025/2026 a ‘difficult’ oneWhile fans have been less than impressed with Ugarte’s performances this season, you can understand why his morale will have taken a substantial hit, especially in recent months.Want more Stretty News coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustOf the 29 Premier League appearances he made in his maiden term, 22 came from the off. This time around, however, the Uruguayan has made only 22 appearances overall, with just eight of those being as a starter.When he oversaw a particularly shoddy display in the defeat to Leeds United at Old Trafford, a report from Laurie Whitwell claimed that Sir Jim Ratcliffe had personally green-lit Ugarte’s summer exit while on a visit to Carrington.Michael Carrick’s mind was also made up regarding the 25-year-old after the loss, as he has yet to feature since – not even for a minute to see out some of the recent wins. Appearances Starts Unused Minutes played 7 1 8 155 Ugarte’s record under CarrickUgarte reacts after penultimate game omissionWhile his impending departure has not been confirmed, there is a general expectation amongst fans that Ugarte has played his final game for United.The fact that he wasn’t used in Saturday’s win over Nottingham Forest meant he was unable to play in front of the M16 faithful for the last time or get a send-off, although he did take part in the post-match lap of appreciation with the rest of his teammates.Ugarte shared a snap of himself and his partner on the pitch to Instagram today, and the caption simply read: “[A] season with many difficult moments, but always smiling. Thank you to my family who always supported me from afar and to you, love, who stood by my side on the toughest days.”