Uruguayan media react to Manuel Ugarte performance as Man United star hailed a ‘lion’ vs Brazil

Add as preferred source on Google

Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte capped off his international break by starring for Uruguay vs Brazil.

Manuel Ugarte played every minute as Uruguay drew 1-1 with Brazil early on Wednesday morning in their World Cup qualifier match.

The 23-year-old is one of 14 Manchester United players away on international duty and Ugarte will now jet back to England to meet up with Ruben Amorim.

Ugarte was Uruguay’s hero against Colombia earlier this week after coming off the bench to score the winner in the 101st minute.

It has been a superb week for Ugarte, who joined United for £42m in the summer. Supporters will be glad to know he escaped the international break unscathed meaning Ugarte is in line to start Amorim’s first game against Ipswich Town on Monday.

How Manuel Ugarte fared for Uruguay vs Brazil

After Ugarte’s superb performance off the bench against Colombia earlier this week, manager Marcelo Bielsa handed him a starting spot against Brazil.

Ugarte has been a key player for Uruguay during their World Cup qualifiers and they currently sit second in the South American standings behind only Argentina.

Against Brazil, Ugarte played the full 90 minutes and was deployed as an anchor in a midfield trio alongside Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Bentacur.

Ugarte showed signs of promise, especially defensively.

What Uruguayan media said about Manuel Ugarte vs Brazil

Uruguayan media showered Ugarte in praise after his late winner against Colombia, and they have now delivered their verdict on his display against Brazil.

Montevideo gave a mixed review of Ugarte’s performance, writing: “The most distant of the midfielders, often positioned as a third defender to close spaces.

“He worked hard, but sometimes he was outnumbered by Raphinha and when he centralised to filter passes. He earned a yellow card in the first half but he held it with great calm. He was a very important defensive piston in the collective functioning.”

El Observador gave Ugarte a 5/10 rating and had plenty to say about his performance.

“He started off behind and often dropped in between the defenders to widen the defensive spectrum against a Brazil that came out to attack with a very wide attacking front.

“He made a couple of wrong passes but was not intimidated. When he could play out, he spread Bruno Guimaraes with a hook and caused a foul that was a yellow card, although Piero Maza saved him from it.

“At 25′, in one of the many balls that Brazil tried to filter through the central lane, he saved with a bicycle kick. He was well cautioned at 40′ for a foul that arose after a recovery on Bentancur who was surprised by three rivals. In the second half, every time he got into the area he arrived with precise help and key recoveries. Lion”.

READ MORE: Manuel Ugarte claims influential figure is perfect example of ‘what it means to be’ Man Utd, makes ‘transmit’ claim

Ugarte will now return to meet up with new head coach Amorim, who he has worked with before at Sporting.

Ahead of their reunion, Ugarte said Amorim helped him a lot in his career. Fans are expecting him to be a central cog in Amorim’s 3-4-3 system, and we will get our first glimpse of it in action against Ipswich on Sunday.