Shortly after Ruben Amorim's appointment at Manchester United last year, he was asked whether Manuel Ugarte was setting the standard in the dressing room and responded: "It is his style, he is from Uruguay, that can help. He is a good example, a lot of players are giving their best."
Amorim worked with Ugarte at Sporting CP and, understandably, preferred the midfielder during his initial months at Old Trafford, yet Ugarte has transformed from being an "example" to facing an uncertain future. The harsh reality is that Ugarte has failed to justify his presence during his 15 months in Manchester for a player who warranted a £42.3million transfer fee with an additional £8.5m in add-ons.
Ugarte was anticipated to be a major beneficiary of Amorim's arrival.
He had delivered his finest performances under Amorim at Sporting, and the renewal of that partnership was predicted to serve him well.
But Amorim will probably feel let down by the present iteration of Ugarte, as he likely doesn't recognise him from the player who flourished in Portugal's premier division.
Ugarte has managed just two starts in the Premier League this season.
The 24-year-old has featured for only 346 minutes across 10 appearances (seven from the substitutes' bench) in all competitions. Amorim's decision to bench Ugarte speaks volumes about his performance.
While Casemiro's excellent form has played a part, Ugarte's lacklustre performances when given the opportunity have not helped his cause. Prior to the international break, he allowed Tottenham's Wilson Odobert to charge towards the penalty area, resulting in Matthijs de Ligt being outmanoeuvred by Mathys Tel.
Although De Ligt bore the brunt of the criticism, Ugarte was notably weak, allowing Odobert to easily bypass him despite being ahead of the Spurs player when the ball was received.
Ugarte's role during Grimsby Town's opening goal in the Carabao Cup upset left much to be desired. There were several moments where the goal could have been prevented, but Ugarte's slow reaction to losing possession at the start of the play was particularly concerning.
The midfielder clashed with Amad at midfield. From the moment Ugarte hit the ground to Grimsby's opening goal, 11 seconds elapsed.
He arrived in the penalty area just as Charles Vernam's shot was taken, suggesting that he could have been closer had he reacted immediately.
Despite the setback, Ugarte managed to redeem himself somewhat with commendable performances against Manchester City in September and against Chelsea. However, the majority of his contributions have been underwhelming.
While it's fair to allow new signings some leeway before passing definitive judgments, there can be few excuses for a player entering their second year at United.
Ugarte has been granted time to acclimatise and adjust to his new environment. Now, he is expected to perform at an even higher level.
He will be conscious that his performances have not met expectations, and may even fear a potential transfer at the end of the season if his situation does not improve.
Marcelo Bielsa reinstated Ugarte into the Uruguay squad for the November break after previously overlooking him in October. However, if Ugarte's playing time doesn't increase, he could face being sidelined once again for his country.
The only way for Ugarte to secure more game time for United is by seizing the opportunities when they come his way. He was earmarked as the successor to Casemiro, but ironically, the player he was brought in to replace is outperforming him.
At 33, Casemiro is still going strong, but Ugarte should be capable of offering more.
If things don't change, Ugarte risks joining the list of disappointing United signings.