Ruben Amorim sets challenge to Manuel Ugarte for the rest of the season after ‘unstoppable’ display

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Manuel Ugarte had his best performance as a Manchester United player during the derby victory.

Manchester United came out on top in a dramatic derby clash against Manchester City on Sunday with Amad Diallo inspiring a late comeback to win 2-1.

Amad was a “menace” vs Manchester City and was easily the best player on the pitch, but there were several United stars who put in wonderful performances at the Etihad Stadium, including Manuel Ugarte.

After scoring in United’s remarkable comeback, Bruno Fernandes hailed Ugarte’s “unstoppable” display against City.

Ugarte joined United for £42m in the summer and endured a slow start under Erik ten Hag, but he has now settled in at Old Trafford and looks like a brilliant signing for the Red Devils.

Ruben Amorim sets challenge to Manuel Ugarte

When Ruben Amorim was appointed as United’s head coach in November, it was quickly pointed out that Ugarte had previously starred under Amorim at Sporting Lisbon.

The pair spent two years together in Lisbon before Ugarte completed a move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.

Ugarte says Amorim helped him a lot in Portugal and the Uruguay international appears to be a perfect fit for his 3-4-3 system.

After watching Ugarte’s brilliant display against City, Amorim has now set the 23-year-old a challenge for the rest of the season, starting with Thursday evening’s Carabao Cup clash against Tottenham.

Speaking to MUTV, Amorim said: “I know him really well, it’s more than just the system [Ugarte is used to] because you can see that we change a lot of things game by game.

“But I know him really well and he’s a very good player.

“He needs to continue to be consistent and we will try to do that.”

Assessing Manuel Ugarte’s start at Man United

United were desperately on the lookout for a young, athletic, defensive-minded midfielder in the summer and Ineos settled on Ugarte.

Ugarte enjoyed a ‘perfect’ debut vs Southampton, but his form dropped off as United began to struggle under Erik ten Hag.

He summed up his style of play brilliantly in his first interview for the club when Ugarte described football as “a game when you have the ball and a fight when you don’t”.

READ MORE: MUTV pundit says Man City were ‘dominated’ by 55-touch Man Utd star, his ‘best performance’ yet

Ugarte has now made 18 appearances for United and has worked his way into Amorim’s strongest XI at United having started all of the past three Premier League matches.

United fans raved about Ugarte’s performance against City, with supporters praising him for the dirty work in midfield that usually goes under the radar.

Kobbie Mainoo was introduced to the Manchester derby as a substitute early on, and alongside Ugarte it seems United have a solid midfield for years to come.