Manuel Ugarte has given a frank assessment of his performance after completing 90 minutes for the first time in a Manchester United shirt.
Making just his second start for United against FC Twente in the Europa League on Wednesday evening, Ugarte could only help the Red Devils to a largely uninspiring 1-1 draw.
After starting the 7-0 victory over Barnsley in the Carabao Cup the previous week, in addition to two substitute appearances in the Premier League, the Uruguayan midfielder played an entire game for the first time since joining from PSG in the summer in a deal worth up to £50.5m.
But his performance left plenty to be desired as he made a number of sloppy mistakes and completed just 59 of his 73 passes from the No 6 role at the base of midfield. The team as a whole struggled, with Christian Eriksen and Harry Maguire both at fault for Twente’s goal, which saw the Dutch side snatch a point after Eriksen’s earlier strike for the hosts at Old Trafford.
And Ugarte was quick to front up after the game, taking to social media to admit that his display could have been far more effective.
In an Instagram post, the 23-year-old wrote: “I’m the first to make self-criticism. It wasn’t a great match personally. We have to keep working.”
Ugarte was solid enough defensively and off the ball but his performance clearly didn’t meet his own high standards and he faces a fight to hold on to his starting spot when United face Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Team-mate Alejandro Garnacho offered support to Ugarte in the comments of the post, writing “Seguimos hermano”, which roughly translates to “let’s go, brother”.
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