It was a feeling of deja vu for Manchester United as they left with a feeling of “what could have been” for the second time in four days in their 1-1 draw vs FC Twente.
Christian Eriksen had sent the team on its way with a thunderous first-half strike but a wasteful and ponderous second-half allowed the opposition a moment which they took with both hands to equalise.
It was a game of two halves in the truest sense as United’s inability to kill off games will annoy Ten Hag as it was a strong team put out by the manager.
Manuel Ugarte got his first European start for Manchester United, partnering Eriksen in midfield as part of a deep pivot.
The Uruguayan got a gentle introduction to life at Old Trafford with a sub appearance vs Southampton followed by a debut start in the 7-0 win.
Manuel Ugarte’s first start in Europe
Ten Hag has so far refused to throw Ugarte into the deep end and instead chosen to give him a few minutes here and there to get him up to speed.
The start here was his second since arriving, with his first also coming in what was a fairly straightforward game on paper.
Twente were quite a few levels above Barnsley, as expected, so it was a nice step up for Ugarte as he tries to get used to playing with his new teammates.
Against Twente, he showed the best and worst of his game, as he was snappy and eager to win the ball back, but the same eagerness sometimes left him in no man’s land.
He showed improved ball-playing skills as well, thrilling the crowd with some forward runs in the box and playing nice forward passes.
There is clearly a player there who, with time, should get better and better.
Man Utd fans react to Ugarte’s performance
This was the first time Ugarte played the full 90 for United which is undoubtedly a huge positive for the club as they came through the game with no injuries.
United fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, praised Ugarte’s energy and initiative in winning the ball back, but lamented his positional discipline, something they expect will improve as he plays more games in this new system.
The majority opinion on the defensive midfielder was “solid”, which summed up his outing perfectly.
“Ugarte had a solid game. I liked his movement. He has a lot to learn, but he’s a huge upgrade on Casemiro,” said one user.
Another posted: “Without Ugarte, we lose this game. He covered up pretty well the spaces that would have been exploited last season. Even the goal came after he won the ball back and Eriksen gave it back. His passing looks suspect though. Early days.”
“I want more discipline from Ugarte. He’s good in the challenge and nicely links midfield and attack, but I saw him get sucked to the wings way too much today. He’ll fix it, but not gassing his performance,” someone else commented.
A fourth was succinct in his assessment, simply using four words: “This guy is solid.”.
Another three-word verdict that kept coming up was as summed up by one fan: “Good ball winner.”
A sixth fan summed up the game and Ugarte perfectly: “He’ll be massive for us in big games when we don’t have as much of the ball. Tonight felt like ten Hag trying to get him used to us when we do have it. Valuable experience. Once Eriksen and Case[miro] are replaced, Ugarte will be a hugely valuable player for us.”
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