After a challenging night on Uruguayan international duty, Manchester United player Manuel Ugarte has stated that he shouldn’t be switched out.
On Saturday night, Marcelo Bielsa decided to start a back three against Peru, thus Ugarte started as the middle centre-back. The World Cup qualifier did not go as planned; Peru won 1-0 in Lima after scoring in the 88th minute.
The 23-year-old was acquired by United from Paris Saint-Germain for £50 million during the summer transfer window as a holding midfielder. He has only started one Premier League game thus far as the squad struggles for consistency, and Erik ten Hag has been easing him into action.
Ten Hag would be tempted to start Ugarte in defence as Harry Maguire is hurt and fellow summer arrival Leny Yoro is still out. However, after his second career start at centre-back did not go well, the man himself does not seem to be interested in the notion.
“The match wasn’t very good,” Ugarte said to ESPN. “It was unfortunate that we didn’t play well because I still think we are much better, but the game was terrible for us. The atmosphere was pleasant and the dressing room was strong before the game, but we gradually lost our edge and did not perform well during the contest.
Everyone can play and has the necessary circumstances, although it frequently takes some [time] to become used to new players. The team’s performance declined, thus it is also not an excuse. As we see against Peru, we must continue to work and go farther.
To be honest, I felt comfortable with the ball, but as a defender, I am lacking in some areas. A player will always benefit from these things, and we’ll see what transpires on Tuesday.”
Quispe of Peru crossed for Miguel Araujo to head in the game-winning goal on Saturday, but Ugarte was unable to stop him. When Uruguay plays Colombia on Tuesday, they will be hoping for a better showing because they need to win to maintain their third-place standing in the South American qualifying group, ahead of Brazil.
Ugarte’s performance in the Peru match was encouraging. He won three of five aerial duels, and six of eight ground duels, and had an 89 per cent passing accuracy. With 93 touches of the ball, he also played a significant role in the team’s build-up from the back.
In actuality, Uruguay’s issues are mostly at the other end of the pitch, as they only managed an expected goals (xG) total of 0.36, with Darwin Nunez, a striker for Liverpool, playing quietly.
“I genuinely feel accountable,” Bielsa, the former Leeds manager, stated. “Because of the players we had in the midfield and the offence, for such a small proportion of goal chances we created in the second half.”
