Harry Maguire gave his immediate reaction at full-time after Manuel Ugarte escaped a red card despite receiving two yellow cards against England at Wembley.
Uruguay visited London to face England on Friday night, with three Manchester United players getting rare minutes under Thomas Tuchel ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
There were also two familiar faces in the Uruguay match squad. Manuel Ugarte started the game, while former United winger Facundo Pellistri played for half an hour.
The game ended in chaotic style as England looked set to win 1-0 after a goal from substitute Ben White, except he gave away a penalty as Uruguay equalised in stoppage time.
Manuel Ugarte playing against England
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Harry Maguire jokes about Manuel Ugarte yellow card situation at Wembley
Although Maguire was annoyed by the penalty decision that led to Uruguay’s leveller, that wasn’t the only controversial moment concerning referee Sven Jablonski.
United midfielder Ugarte was booked twice but wasn’t sent off on what was a bad night for the officials.
The Uruguayan, who has had limited minutes at Old Trafford this season, was yellow-carded for a foul on United-linked Cole Palmer after 71 minutes.
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Ugarte was booked again 10 minutes later for dissent following White’s opening goal.
The rules of football suggest after two yellow cards, the player in question is sent off. That wasn’t the case for Ugarte and he was substituted in the final stages of the match.
Speaking after the match, Maguire explained to Sky Sports what was communicated to the England team. Their understanding is that one of the yellow cards had been rescinded, which is a new one for the sport, as he argued.
Maguire then joked that Ugarte got no yellow cards on the night.
“We’ve been told Ugarte was shown two yellow cards and the second one was rescinded, which is new one on us,” Maguire said.
“Now we’ve been told the first of those yellow cards for Ugarte was actually for [Jose Maria] Gimenez. So rather than two yellow cards, Ugarte got no yellow cards.”
We do not doubt that jokes will be made about Ugarte’s ability to get away with two yellow cards in one match when he returns to Carrington following the international break.
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When is Manuel Ugarte next in action?
Uruguay face Algeria in another international friendly on Tuesday night.
The game kicks off at 7.30pm and Ugarte is likely to earn another start to prove himself in the Uruguay side.
It’s not like Ugarte gets many opportunities to play for United, though fans would argue he’s had enough because of underwhelming performances.
Ugarte is a player who could leave Old Trafford for game time elsewhere, especially with United looking to sign new midfielders in the summer.
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