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As the previous Premier League defeat against Liverpool showed, the midfield remains a weakness with Casemiro still struggling in the big games.
The Brazilian slowly seemed to be regaining the form he showed in his debut season but Arne Slot’s team ran him ragged and he did not even emerge for the second half as Erik ten Hag turned to young Toby Collyer instead.
The former Real Madrid superstar has been linked with an exit to Turkiye and Saudi Arabia but he chose not to join Galatasaray on loan and United are unlikely to let him leave now that the window has closed.
The manager had indicated that he might stick with the 32-year-old at the base of the midfield as new signing Manuel Ugarte was not ready to start games so soon.
Ugarte impresses on international duty
But those doubts were dispelled by the Uruguayan during his country’s game against Paraguay as the former Paris Saint-Germain put in a typically all-action display, looking as fit as ever.
He played 79 minutes and impressed with his workrate, excelling defensively while also showing his ability with the ball at his feet.
The defensive midfielder is expected to earn more minutes when Uruguay take on Venezuela and his display on Saturday seems to have changed Ten Hag’s mind regarding the player’s fitness levels.
Givemesport have revealed that the 23-year-old will play against Southampton when club football resumes after the international break.
“Manuel Ugarte is set to play for Manchester United against Southampton after the international break after proving his fitness for Uruguay, GIVEMESPORT sources have revealed.
“GIVEMESPORT sources have shared that Ugarte has a good regular level of fitness that means he will be fit very quickly, and the expectation is that he will feature against Southampton as long as the travel to and from international duty doesn’t impact him negatively in the coming days.”
Ugarte will play vs Southampton
Whether he will start the game or come on as a substitute has not been made clear but on paper, this might be the best game for the Uruguay international to bed in as a United star.
The Saints have been struggling and have lost all three of their games thus far and could provide the Red Devils the chance to land a morale-boosting win to kickstart their league campaign in earnest.
INEOS have already intimated to Ten Hag that he has four games to save his job and the manager must ensure the midfield starts performing if he is to remain in the hot-seat.
Getting Ugarte up to speed as quickly as possible could be the best way for the former Ajax coach to prolong his stay in Manchester.
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2024-09-07 13:10:46
