The fixtures are coming thick and fast for Manchester United before the next international break as they play six more times, including Fenerbahce, before November 10.
Erik ten Hag needs all the help he can get and this is possibly the worst time to have injuries as even a slight issue will see a player miss two to three games.
It was seen recently in the case of Kobbie Mainoo, who will miss seven games but in terms of time, he’s out for only three weeks.
That problem was bettered somewhat with the return of Noussair Mazraoui from his issue vs Brentford but ahead of Fenerbahce, it was a case of one step forward, two steps back.
Injuries to Dan Gore and Toby Collyer leave only three midfielders in the Man Utd squad but there’s an opportunity in every crisis.
Time for Manuel Ugarte to step up
Last season, Willy Kambwala rose from the flames of Man Utd’s injury nightmare of 2023/24 and established himself as a capable contributor.
As a result, Kambwala won a move to La Liga side Villarreal and United got a handsome fee which they wouldn’t have gotten without his senior debut.
This season, the situation isn’t as bad but with only three midfielders available at least for Fenerbahce, Ten Hag might well be forced to unleash Manuel Ugarte.
The Uruguayan has had a tough time of things settling into English football and Ten Hag has been extremely cautious with overexposing him.
He has played just 20% of available minutes in the league and didn’t come off the bench in the last Europa League fixture vs FC Porto.
Ugarte hasn’t looked completely up to it but the Man Utd manager has also been guilty of sticking with the safe, tried, and tested options instead of giving Ugarte a long leash.
With the United injury situation in midfield, he might have no choice but to give him a trial by fire in the intense cauldron of Turkey.
Assessing Ugarte’s contribution going forward
Man Utd fans will remember last season when Rasmus Hojlund was struggling to get to grips with the Premier League pace but banged in the goals in Europe.
That confidence eventually permeated to the league and he looks well on his way to becoming a lethal hitman at his best.
Ugarte should follow a similar path which is why it is so important for him to get some good games under his belt in Europe, away from the pace and intensity of England.
Turkey is hardly an easy place to play but it will still allow him to get some minutes since he’s clearly a great player just struggling to adjust, as his supreme performances for Uguruay prove.
Andre Onana also had a settling-in period and he’s now one of the best goalkeepers in the league.
Ugarte plays in an even more difficult position to adjust to so his slow start shouldn’t condemn him to a “failed transfer” route.
He has the mentality to come back from setbacks and being thrown in at the deep end is sometimes the best way to learn how to swim.
That deep end should come vs Fenerbahce because Ten Hag has no choice but to do so. He can kickstart a career by doing it.
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