Manuel Ugarte started in midfield for Uruguay against Saudi Arabia on Monday night, and it was a night he would rather forget.
Manchester United will have been hoping that Manuel Ugarte would put himself in the shop window this summer with a strong World Cup for Uruguay.
However, as his campaign started against Saudi Arabia, it became clear that he won’t be granting United this wish.
Ugarte looked okay on the ball at times, surprisingly, even hitting the post with a long-range effort as Uruguay hunted down an equaliser.
But in the 1-1 draw, United’s number 25 failed to do what he’s in the side to do.
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Manuel Ugarte poor for Uruguay in World Cup opener
Ugarte played 72 minutes before being replaced, and the biggest contribution he had was the effort that struck the post.
He was also unusually solid on the ball, with 90% (57/63) of his passes finding their intended target.
Marcelo Bielsa, however, picks Ugarte for what he offers off the ball, and he fell short as Saudi Arabia won the midfield battle in the first-half with the United man bettered.
Just three defensive contributions saw Ugarte ghost in the midfield, winning no tackles and just one of six duels he attempted. Bielsa wants Ugarte running and getting stuck in as often as possible, but he didn’t do that today and is lucky that a point was salvaged; otherwise, he may have been under more scrutiny.
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