Ugarte celebrates victory against City. (Image: 2024 Manchester United FC)
Bruno Fernandes described Manuel Ugarte as "unstoppable" after the Manchester derby.
Ugarte started against Manchester City and delivered one of his best performances for Manchester United, winning four tackles and recording a 95 per cent pass accuracy.
Ugarte smiled as he spoke in Spanish by the Etihad tunnel. "All good, very content and very happy. It was an incredible feeling when the second goal was scored," said the midfielder.
"For the goal, the celebration, the game, the victory, for us and for the happiness of the fans. There’s a good feeling in the dressing room. It’s a new project with a new coach and it’s very important for us to know what he wants, but it’s obvious that United need to be fighting for titles and playing in the Champions League and not be where we are.
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"That’s our objective but we have to get there step by step, little by little, game by game. You saw today what this team can do. We have confidence but also humility. We are United."
The game was Ugarte's first experience of a Manchester derby. "They were spectacular," Ugarte said about the fans who enjoyed their lock in after the final whistle. "I heard the songs. It’s like South America, but different songs. The fans of United are crazy. In a good way."
Ugarte agreed it was his best game for United: "I think so. It was a beautiful game and when you consider who it was against, I am happy with how it went. We were confident before the game, optimistic. But I just think forward and to the next game on Thursday [Tottenham].
"Today it was my job was to get the ball back from them, to win the second balls. When we didn’t have the ball, press them and pressure them. And when I did have the ball, I made the simple passes to move the team forward. My main role was to be on the winning team.
"They have a lot of good players in the middle and it was hard to get the ball back, but they weren’t pressing aggressively and that makes having the ball easier. They generated some plays, but we did well."
United went 1-0 down in the first half against City but Ugarte felt a turnaround was always on the cards. "Optimistic, as you saw," he said about how he felt. "Without doubt. We knew that if we carried on playing as we were then we’d get chances to get equal and then win.
"We had opportunities before they scored, we were generating chances and that’s important. We knew there would be more and we improved in the second half. We had opportunities to score after they scored. And once we got the first we only thought about the second."
Ugarte's integration was delayed because he wasn't registered in time after his deadline day arrival, and he seemed to initially struggle with the greater intensity of the Premier League.
The 23-year-old was not Erik ten Hag's preferred midfield signing in the summer, but he excelled working with Ruben Amorim at Sporting Lisbon and has rekindled that relationship.
Ugarte has improved following Amorim's appointment and supporters are starting to see why he was signed. And Ugarte is settling into life in Manchester, although he's not been afforded the time to properly look around the city and enjoy the several different charms it has to offer.
"I’ve not seen much of the city because in this league there are so many games," he said. "But what I’ve seen is all very nice and tranquil. It’s a good place to be for a footballer."
Manchester is a great place to be a footballer if you're winning games for United.