Manuel Ugarte faces an uncertain future at Manchester United unless he improves and earns a place in the starting line-up.
It has been a dire start to the 2025/26 season for Manchester United and Ruben Amorim’s players. The Red Devils have four points from four Premier League matches, and they’ve already been eliminated from the Carabao Cup.
One player who has struggled to nail down a place in Amorim’s XI is Manuel Ugarte, although he did start in United’s 3-0 defeat to Man City on Sunday. The surprise start for the Uruguay international came after he was named as a substitute for the first three league games of the season.
A year ago, Ugarte arrived from PSG for £52m as Casemiro’s successor, but the 32-year-old appears to be Amorim’s preferred option in midfield to start alongside Bruno Fernandes.
Manuel Ugarte chasing Jeremy Doku
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Man Utd open to Manuel Ugarte exit
A lot can change throughout a football season.
Ugarte has been subjected to lots of criticism since his transfer to Old Trafford, which is why Amorim took him out of the line-up for the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham last season.
The 24-year-old has been overlooked in most games this season, but he will get plenty of chances because Casemiro is not expected to play every match at this stage of his career.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Ugarte was wanted by clubs in Serie A during the summer, but United were not interested in loan deals.
Romano suggests that this could change if a good permanent offer is made for Ugarte in the coming months, once the transfer window reopens in January or next summer.
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“I can reveal to you that, for Manuel Ugarte, there was a possibility of an exit this summer,” said Romano.
“For example, Italian clubs were interested in Ugarte, but Manchester United decided to close the doors to an eventual loan move, so this is why nothing happened.
“For Manuel Ugarte, we’ll have to see if some club will arrive with a permanent deal proposal in 2026, because this might change the situation.”
Gary Neville criticises Ugarte after the Manchester derby
Former United captain Gary Neville believes the midfield is a problem for Amorim following United’s defeat to Man City.
Neville stressed that Ugarte is ‘not good enough’ after spending 80 minutes on the pitch, making 43 of 48 accurate passes, committing two fouls and losing possession eight times.
Casemiro replaced Ugarte in the final 10 minutes, but City had already sealed the win.
Speaking on the Gary Neville podcast, the retired footballer turned pundit said: “The midfield is a massive problem, and we’ve known that. United fans know that.
“Ugarte And Fernandes today, I think you mentioned it early, about an hour before the game, that Ugarte and Fernandes played in this fixture last year from start to finish, and United won the game, but Ugarte is not good enough.”