Manuel Ugarte made his first start under Michael Carrick as Manchester United suffered defeat to Leeds United at Old Trafford.
Because of Kobbie Mainoo’s injury, Michael Carrick was forced to make changes to his starting XI to face Leeds United on Monday evening.
It was Manuel Ugarte who started alongside Casemiro in the heart of midfield, but the pairing quickly lost control of the match and Leeds quickly snatched a two-goal lead through Noah Okafor.
United fans were furious at Ugarte for his performance and he was easily one of United’s worst performers in the match.
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Michael Carrick defends Manuel Ugarte record
This was Ugarte’s first start under Carrick and his 10th for United this season. In those 10 matches, the Red Devils have won just once.
When that statistic was read to Carrick, the United boss quickly launched a defence of the Uruguayan midfielder.
“Since I’ve come in, and he’s played and come on, he’s been fine,” Carrick said.
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“I think tonight was a tough game, not just for Manu. It was one of those games when it was a tough night.
“I actually thought, especially when we went down to 10 men, that he did a lot of covering for other players to be able to attack.”
Was Manuel Ugarte that bad against Leeds, or is he just an easy scapegoat for bigger problems?
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Manuel Ugarte cannot control matches for Man Utd
Ugarte has been linked with a United exit in the upcoming summer transfer window, and that is because he has repeatedly shown he does not have the quality to play regularly.
The 25-year-old’s strengths are his defensive work, but in possession, Ugarte is nowhere near good enough.
United lost control of the match against Leeds early on because Ugarte was one of several players who couldn’t keep hold of the ball.
READ MORE: Man Utd can revive Manuel Ugarte’s career perfectly by signing his ideal partner this summer
Ugarte improved in the second half as his responsibilities became more about covering ground defensively than it was about his in-possession ability.
In the summer, United need a midfield overhaul and replacing Ugarte should be towards the top of Ineos’ shopping list.
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