Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte got a chance to impress for Uruguay. But he had mixed fortunes.
The 2025/26 season has got off to a rocky start for Manuel Ugarte, who has been a substitute for all three of Manchester United’s opening Premier League games.
A year ago Ugarte was being hailed as United’s Casemiro successor after his move from PSG, now he cannot manage to displace the 32-year-old Brazilian.
Ugarte’s struggles have meant he is no longer a guaranteed starter for his country too, and has had to try and win over international boss Marcelo Bielsa.
Manuel Ugarte wears blue polo shirt in Manchester United dressing room
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Manuel Ugarte latest
Manuel Ugarte is a regular in the Uruguay squad, but his starting spot in midfield is no longer assured there either.
Last week Ugarte was a substitute, again, as Uruguay beat Peru 3-0 to book their place at the 2026 World Cup.
With qualification already assured, Ugarte was rotated back into the starting line-up for the game against Chile.
Fourth placed Uruguay drew the game 0-0 against Chile, the team ranking bottom of the table in the Conmebol section.
More United News
Ugarte played all 90 minutes, completing 45 of 50 passes attempted, while making one tackle and two interceptions.
Marcelo Bielsa unhappy
Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa was unhappy with Uruguay’s performance and cited the lack of balance in the team’s midfield.
He told El Observador: “We missed not having an attacking midfielder on the pitch because we wanted to have a player with individual imbalance.
“We played with three very good midfielders, (Manuel) Ugarte, (Rodrigo) Bentancur, and (Federico) Valverde, but with those three players of that level, who are very good defensively, we spent a lot of the match without being able to win the ball back.
“The performance wasn’t satisfactory. There’s no clear justification for why, after a great match, we couldn’t repeat the same level of performance. We didn’t have defensive order; without it, the players run poorly.
“When you run after the ball and can’t recover it, it causes a lot of wear and tear. That’s what happened at many points in the match.”
Bielsa’s warning about the ‘wear and tear’ placed on Ugarte is something Manchester United’s staff will monitor after he completes his long flight back to the UK.
Casemiro returned early from international duty for Brazil after he was suspended for the game with Bolivia due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
He will be in pole position to start for Manchester United against City at The Etihad on Sunday, with Ugarte expected to be back on the bench.