Manuel Ugarte was in action for Uruguay on Friday night, but despite being a regular starter he found himself coming from the bench.
It is safe to say he made his impact.
Manuel Ugarte’s time at Manchester United has not been completely perfect, but since the managerial change, Ugarte has left his teammates like Casemiro impressed.
Things get even better for Ugarte as he now has a head coach who knows him well in Ruben Amorim. The new United boss will likely make Ugarte a key fixture in his team.
For those watching Uruguay on Friday night or Saturday morning in the UK, there will have been a bit of shock when Ugarte scored. Only making a 33-minute cameo, Ugarte left his mark on the game as he scored the winner in the 101st minute of the game.
Uruguay walked out 3-2 winners and Ugarte with his head held high and no doubt confidence renewed.
Marcelo Bielsa explains why Manuel Ugarte was on the bench
For Ugarte, it will have been a shock to find himself on the bench, having so regularly been a starter for his nation under Marcelo Bielsa.
With only 10 touches of the ball, he ended up the match winner and following the game, Bielsa spoke on his 23-year-old midfielder to explain why he used him from the bench.
“The one sacrificed today. He [Ugarte] is the player who has played the most since I have been in Uruguay. And apart from being the one who played the most, he was the one with the best performances adding the games.
“We have the habit of qualifying the actions very conscientiously among all of us who work, and we elaborate a lot of that data so as not to make mistakes. Ugarte is the player who has the highest average of his ratings. But today I was convinced that the game was better for Bentancur than for him, and it was hard for me not to find him a place on the team.
“Ugarte can play as a defender and as a containment. Bentancur can play as a defender, containment and mixed midfielder. Valverde and De la Cruz occupy many places on the field.”
By the sounds of things, Bielsa has felt the need to explain his actions after the impact Ugarte had, however, it seems tactical.
Uruguayan media hail Manchester United midfielder
Also after the game, Ugarte’s performance was reviewed by the Uruguayan press.
El Pais was among the outlets to have a say as they failed to rate his performance given it was a cameo.
“He contributed to the score and distribution of the ball. In the agony of the match, he ended up being the hero by scoring the winning goal.”
Following this La Diaria Deporte also reacted in their player reviews.
“The team was in need of him and replaced Rodrigo Aguirre, who was injured. He scored his first goal in the national team to give the victory to the blue in the discounts.”
By the sounds of things from Uruguayan press, it seems that Ugarte was the game changer.
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