The international break has been wrapped up in South America overnight and Manuel Ugarte has been in action.
At long last, Manchester United’s international players are set to head off on their holidays.
It was a mixed bag for the United players who were in action, with Bruno Fernandes lifting the Nations League trophy undeniably the big success story.
Overnight for Brazil, Matheus Cunha earned plenty of praise as he provided an excellent assist, and should have had more considering the chances he created for his teammates.
Patrick Dorgu impressed for Denmark in a big win over Lithuania, while Manuel Ugarte has also been in action.
Here is what the press in Uruguay had to say about Ugarte’s performance.
Photo by Ernesto Ryan/Getty Images
Photo by Ernesto Ryan/Getty Images
After a disappointing performance last week, Uruguay bounced back on Tuesday night local time and Ugarte was at his solid best in the midfield.
El Observador rated Ugarte a 6/10, summing up his performance in a brief review: “Order, control and first safe pass. He rounded up a good.”
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In addition, La Diaria handed the United midfielder a 6/10, Issuing some praise: “First it must be noted that he ran them all; second, that he associated well with the other steering wheels; third, that he was the command voice when the team was bad.”
Another bit of praise arrived from Montevideo, which highlighted that Ugarte was a major improvement on his previous performance: “Another one who showed another improved face with respect to the duel against Paraguay. With the Lolo next to him, he does not have to have responsibilities in the transfer and can dedicate himself to doing what he does best, marking, recovering and delivering. He planted himself when necessary and helped the rear. He stole the ball that ended in the 2-0.”
Ugarte’s strong performance can be highlighted in his statistics.
How Manuel Ugarte played for Uruguay vs Venezuela
It was a good night for Uruguay, with Ugarte being an unsung hero in the win.
Ugarte lasted the entire 90 minutes and had a massive impact defensively.
90 minutes
50/54 passes completed
74 touches
5/7 long passes completed
3/7 tackles won
3 clearances
2 interceptions
12 defensive actions
3 recoveries
10 duels won
This is a pretty familiar performance from Ugarte who shines in his defensive output, playing the role which will not win him awards but is crucial for his team.
In addition, Ugarte’s passing was safe as he would give it to the more technical or creative players to make things happen.
If Ugarte performed like this every week, there would be a strong argument that he was a bargain at £42m, next season perhaps he will do just that.