Man United midfielder Manuel Ugarte has made just two starts in the Premier League this season.
Manuel Ugarte has underperformed this season.(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
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Ruben Amorim has challenged Manuel Ugarte to improve in training sessions amid concerns about his performances for Manchester United this season. Ugarte got off to a mixed start in Manchester after his €50million (£42.3m) transfer, with a further €10m (£8.5m) in add-ons, from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2024.
The midfielder was expected to improve after the appointment of Amorim. Ugarte played his best football under Amorim at Sporting Lisbon, but he's been unable to reproduce those levels so far at Old Trafford. Ugarte has made just two starts in the Premier League this season.
The 24-year-old has played just 346 minutes across 10 appearances (seven from the bench) in all competitions. Amorim was asked whether he was surprised by Ugarte's form and challenged him to improve. "No, I understand. If, again.. you are here [Manchester] longer than me, and you can sense that a lot of very good players come here, and sometimes they struggle," said Amorim.
"And they are struggling, he is struggling in the moment. But it is our job to try to help our players, and again, everything can change. And you saw it five weeks ago, the environment was completely different.
"So I know that Ugarte is struggling in the moment and my job is trying to help him to feel as a player, like I felt when he was a Sporting player, for example. But it is a different world and he needs to adapt and he needs to improve, especially in training."
There has been speculation around Ugarte's future. Amorim was ruthless last summer, deciding Rasmus Hojlund should leave after a disappointing campaign. Benjamin Sesko has been sidelined with a knee injury, but Amorim does not regret allowing Hojlund to join Napoli.
"Our thinking is that we need two strikers," he said. "Sometimes I prefer players that make two positions, because sometimes in these clubs it's hard to make everyone happy.
"Imagine that Rasmus is here, and you say if Ben has an injury, you have more time to play. It's impossible to manage a dressing room like that, so that's why we need to improve the kids from academy.
"If you have an injury, that is the opportunity for them, and then to have players that can play in different positions, for us to manage the team in a better way."
Sesko picked up his knee injury against Tottenham before the international break. He was introduced from the bench in the 58th minute in London but he lasted just half an hour.
The 22-year-old was forced to withdraw from international duty with Slovenia and underwent scans at Carrington during the break, which confirmed the injury was not a major issue.
Amorim was asked to provide an update on Sesko's injury during his press conference on Friday, and said: "He is going to stay a few weeks out. I don’t know how long, but it’s not that serious. We have to be careful with him. He is going to recover and he is feeling better."