Gary Neville shares honest verdict on Manchester United summer signing v Chelsea, the game was a ‘struggle’ for him

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Manchester United drew with Chelsea on Sunday afternoon and Gary Neville was left concerned with one player’s performance.

Ruud van Nistelrooy managed a Premier League game first the first time after a week of change in the Manchester United dugout.

United sacked Erik ten Hag last Monday and quickly announced his successor with Ruben Amorim named the new United boss on Friday.

Amorim won’t actually arrive until the international break though, leaving Van Nistelrooy to take charge of three more United games.

The first came on Sunday and United looked to be heading for a 1-0 win after Bruno Fernandes scored from the penalty spot.

Chelsea hit back through Moises Caicedo though, handing the Blues a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw.

• READ MORE: Man Utd ratings vs Chelsea, Noussair Mazraoui sensational 9/10 but forgettable outing for two 4/10s

Gary Neville concerned about struggling Manchester United player

This was a fairly scrappy game and the moments of genuine quality were few and far between.

United remain wasteful in the final third and Manuel Ugarte didn’t quite seize his chance in the United engine room.

United fans have shared their concern over Ugarte’s display against Chelsea as the Uruguayan failed to make an impact.

Ugarte signed for United from Paris Saint-Germain on transfer deadline day in a deal which could reach £50million.

Ugarte’s United career just hasn’t got started yet though and fans are yet to see a return on that significant outlay.

After committing a foul on Cole Palmer, Gary Neville told Sky Sports (03/11, 5:10pm) that Ugarte really needs a consistent run of games in the United side.

Neville feels that Ugarte hasn’t really had chance to find his best form but could see that featuring against Chelsea was a ‘struggle’ for him.

“He just needs a run of games, Manuel Ugarte,” said Neville. “He’s not had a chance to get going, it’s a struggle for him out there,” he added.

• READ: Who is Manuel Ugarte? Everything you need to know on Uruguay midfielder

Manuel Ugarte stats v Chelsea

We saw Ugarte turn in a strong display at Fenerbahce with Paul Scholes praising Ugarte for his best performance in a United shirt.

That hasn’t really helped Ugarte build momentum though and the midfielder still looks a little off the pace in the Premier League.

The stats don’t look great from Ugarte’s display on Sunday with his six fouls standing out; only Pervis Estupinan has committed more fouls in a Premier League game this season.

The transition from Ligue 1 to the Premier League is a tricky one and Ugarte may just need time to shine.

Fortunately, Ugarte will have a very familiar face guiding his development soon.

New boss Amorim turned Ugarte into a star at Sporting, helping him earn his big 2023 move to PSG.

Van Nistelrooy believes that Ugarte will shine under Amorim and United fans will certainly hope that is the case after another difficult afternoon.