‘Scandalous’ showing from one Red emphasises why INEOS are ready to cut ties after 17 months, the stats back it up

Manuel Ugarte was chastised from all angles after an early error saw Manchester United come close to conceding at Aston Villa.The midfielder had been dordling on the ball when Youri Tielemans swiftly pressed him and claimed possession on the edge of Senne Lammens’ area, allowing Villa an early shot on target to call Lammens into action.Reacting on Sky Sports’ coverage, Gary Neville said: “The problem with having Ugarte in that deep-lying position is he’s not very good on the ball.”Simultaneously, Samuel Luckhurst shared his verdict on X/Twitter, writing: “Scandalous from Ugarte. How many times does he turn attack into defence, complain about a non-foul, and United either concede or get away with one? Brilliant from Lammens.”How did Manuel Ugarte fare vs Villa?(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)In the 73 minutes the Uruguayan played at Villa Park, he failed to make any blocks or clearances, and was dribbled past twice.He also committed four fouls, eventually being shown a yellow card by Michael Oliver, and won only seven of his 14 ground duels attempted (Fotmob).Such a shoddy display only emphasises why INEOS are said to be willing to cut ties with Ugarte after only 17 months of his Red Devils tenure.After signing from Paris Saint-Germain in a £50.5 million deal last August, the 24-year-old has failed to meet the standards or expectations set for him in a United shirt, making it no surprise PSG were so open to facilitating his departure after one season.According to a graphic shared by Sky Sports moments before kick-off, he has been on the losing side of games in his last six Premier League starts. Given United eventually slumped to a 2-1 defeat this evening, that statistic can now be increased to seven. pic.twitter.com/ODJWLEHiux — Dzner™️ (@DznerV3) December 21, 2025Ugarte could be overseeing his final weeks at United(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)This season alone, Ugarte has been utilised sparingly by Amorim and, prior to today, had only started in the 3-0 loss at the Etihad and 3-0 loss to Brentford. He has been an unused substitute on six occasions and was only called upon to face Villa because Casemiro was suspended.In regard to where the player might end up if he does indeed depart next month, Galatasaray are reportedly interested in taking Ugarte on board – to the point they’ve even met with United officials to try and discuss how a deal could come to fruition.