Why Manuel Ugarte was absent from Uruguay squad vs Argentina in World Cup qualifier, big risk explained

Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte was not in the Uruguay squad to face Argentina this weekend in their World Cup qualifying campaign.

Manuel Ugarte returned to action from injury last week for Manchester United and started in the 3-0 win over Leicester City.

He was then among a group of players selected to play for their national teams over the international break.

Uruguay are looking to secure their place in the 2026 World Cup and clashes against Argentina and Bolivia awaited this week.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side came out of their opening game with a defeat as Thiago Almada scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win for Argentina.

Interestingly, Ugarte was not even in the squad for Uruguay in that clash despite playing in all six of their prior World Cup qualifying games.

Why Ugarte missed Uruguay vs Argentina

United fans may have been concerned that Ugarte’s absence was due to another injury setback experienced on the training ground.

However, it was clarified by elpais that the United midfielder was not selected due to suspension after receiving two yellow cards.

In CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers, a player is suspended for one match after accumulating two yellow cards across different games.

Ugarte was booked against Venezuela and then again in a 1-1 draw against Brazil in the last international break.

He will be available for selection for Uruguay’s second game this break against Bolivia and will be expecting to start that tie.

Ugarte’s suspension risk explained

Ugarte is not shy of getting stuck in and that does result in a lot of bookings for the summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain.

So far this season, the 23-year-old has 11 bookings for the Reds and eight of those have come in the Premier League.

He was unavailable against Newcastle in December after reaching five bookings before the cut-off point and could face further punishment in the league if this trend continues.

If Ugarte is booked in each of United’s next two games he will face a two-match ban. Meanwhile, if he reaches 15 cautions overall, there will be a three-game suspension.

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The central midfielder might need to find a balance in his approach or figure out ways to go about his business in a way that doesn’t attract the referee so much.

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