Erik ten Hag shares immediate reaction to Manuel Ugarte’s display for Manchester United v Barnsley

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Manchester United have eased through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after hammering Barnsley 7-0 at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.

Erik ten Hag saw his Manchester United side come up with a big performance on Saturday, beating Southampton 3-0 away from home.

The attention shifted to the EFL Cup this week though with United hosting League One side Barnsley at Old Trafford.

Fans were expecting a big win and that is exactly what happened as United ran riot against the Tykes.

Marcus Rashford opened the scoring before Antony and Alejandro Garnacho added to the scoreline before the break.

Garnacho and Rashford completed braces to make it 5-0 before Christian Eriksen added a double of his own to wrap up a 7-0 win.

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Erik ten Hag on Manuel Ugarte

This was the biggest win of the Erik ten Hag era at Manchester United and there are so many positives to take.

Rashford will hopefully take real confidence from being on the scoresheet, Garnacho has staked his claim for a start and Antony found the net with a morale-boosting penalty.

Then there is Manuel Ugarte, who was able to make his first start for United.

Ugarte joined United from Paris Saint-Germain on transfer deadline day and impressed off the bench against Southampton.

The Uruguayan was in from the start against Barnsley and turned in a solid performance as United dominated.

Ten Hag was asked about Ugarte’s performance straight after the game and he praised his latest signing.

Speaking on Sky Sports (17/09, 22:25), Ten Hag suggested that Ugarte was ‘good’ and really showed his quality once United settled into the game.

Ten Hag added that Ugarte can really strengthen United’s team and made that clear with his performance against Barnsley.

“I think he was good,” said Ten Hag. “In the first minute, you have to find your position, we have to – as a team – we have to find the right shape, but once we got it, then you see his level.

“He is really… he can really strengthen the squad and the team,” he added.

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Ugarte stats v Barnsley

Ugarte has recovered from an illness over the last week and is still settling into life at United.

With that being said, Ugarte’s 62-minute display against Barnsley gave a glimpse of what he can offer moving forward.

Ugarte recorded one tackle and three interceptions whilst even committing six fouls – more than any other United player.

Ugarte also had 46 touches and completed 86.5% of his passes whilst winning one aerial duel.

The numbers aren’t eye-popping but it’s worth remembering that Barnsley didn’t exactly offer a huge attacking threat.

That means the volume of Ugarte’s defensive stats may not be quite as high as you may expect in the Premier League.

This was a good start for Ugarte and there is surely more to come once he adjusts to life in England, with Ten Hag no doubt excited about the impact he can make moving forward.