Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte played 90 minutes as Uruguay drew 0-0 to Chile in their latest World Cup qualifier.
Manchester United have had many players representing their nations this week ahead of a return to Premier League action on the weekend.
Ruben Amorim would have hoped some players would not be overplayed during this break but others needed time on the pitch to get some rhythm.
Benjamin Šeško played two full games and Manuel Ugarte was another who needed some positive minutes after a poor start to the season for the Reds.
The midfielder was brought off the bench in Uruguay’s 3-0 win over Peru and then started the Chile clash and he played 90 minutes in the 0-0 affair.
Uruguay boss Bielsa makes Ugarte point after Chile draw
Ugarte’s performance on paper did not look like the best, with the United midfielder conceding three fouls and losing five of his duels.
Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa explained how he missed a different dynamic in the midfield as Ugarte, Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Bentancur are all quite similar.
“The fact that we didn’t have an attacking midfielder on the field [due to the absence of Giorgian De Arrascaeta] meant we were playing with three very good players in Valverde, Ugarte, and Bentancur, but we missed the need to have a player with individual balance,” the ex-Leeds manager explained.
“They’re associative, mobile players, but with three of that caliber, who are also good defensively, we spent a lot of the game without winning possession back.
“I repeat, the performance wasn’t satisfactory; there’s no justification for why we couldn’t repeat the great performance from the previous match.”
Ugarte has to take his chance when it comes
Ugarte has already recognised that his performance levels need to improve and that does need to happen quickly for him.
This season, there will not be many opportunities for players to break into the team. Casemiro is the clear first-choice option right now and the only thing that changes that is impressive performances from Ugarte.
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Heading into the away clash against Manchester City this weekend, Casemiro is certainly going to start after he was able to travel back to Carrington early.
Ugarte’s next few starts, whenever they come, will be crucial for him and could have an impact on where his future lies beyond next summer.
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