Uruguay media react to Manuel Ugarte display vs Cabo Verde
Image Credits: Imago Images
Manuel Ugarte has come under severe criticism in Uruguay after a disappointing 2-2 draw with Cape Verde damaged their 2026 World Cup qualification hopes.
Uruguay had already failed to fully convince in their opening matches, including a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia, leaving them on just two points in Group H.
What was expected to be a straightforward path to progression has now turned into a tense battle for survival under Marcelo Bielsa’s side.
Cape Verde’s disciplined display further exposed Uruguay’s lack of control in key phases, with momentum slipping away at crucial moments.
Attention quickly turned toward individual performances, with the Manchester United midfielder singled out for a particularly difficult outing.
Manuel Ugarte featured until the 70th minute before being substituted after struggling to assert himself in the midfield.
Statistically, his influence was also questioned after failing to win a single one of his five ground duels during the match.
Uruguay media assess Manuel Ugarte performance
The reaction in Uruguay was especially harsh, with Montevideo Portal delivering an unforgiving assessment of his performance.
The publication wrote, “Manuel Ugarte. Very sloppy with the ball. Against an opponent with very physical and fast players, he struggled a lot.
“When they dropped back, he wasn’t the right person to control the ball, which made him uncomfortable.
“Nevertheless, the cross that led to the second goal came from his feet.
“Once again, he was one of the team’s biggest weaknesses and should have been substituted much earlier. He’s not there, he just wasn’t there.”
They added, “With the restart, the players showed some nervousness and the circuits that had appeared more fluid began to fail, mainly because Bentancur was unclear and Ugarte was not at all precise.”
The scrutiny now places added pressure on his international standing at a time when his long-term future looks to be away from Old Trafford.
With confidence issues now emerging on both club and international fronts, the midfielder enters a crucial period where every performance is likely to be heavily judged moving forward.
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