Michael Carrick has defended the shape of Manuel Ugarte after Gary Neville said the midfielder has been ‘well short’ ever since he joined Manchester United.
Ugarte was within the starting XI for the Red Devils for the primary time under Carrick as they hosted Leeds United on Monday night.
The Uruguayan got the nod as Kobbie Mainoo was out injured, playing at the bottom of midfield alongside Casemiro.
Things didn’t go well for Ugarte or Carrick’s side typically, beaten 2-1 by the Yorkshire side in an underwhelming display at Old Trafford, not helped by a red card for Lisandro Martinez.
The 25-year-old joined Manchester United from PSG in August 2024 for a fee of around £42m, but has didn’t impress under managers Erik ten Hag, Ruben Amorim and now Carrick.
Neville has described the Uruguay international as ‘really limited on the ball’ but Carrick said he was pleased enough with how Ugarte played against Leeds.
Asked if he was concerned over the midfielder’s form, Carrick said: ‘No. No no. I believe when he’s played since I’ve been here…whatever’s gone on before has gone on before, it’s not for me to comment on. Since I’ve come, when he’s played and he’s come on he’s been tremendous.
‘Tonight was a tricky game, not only for Manu, I believe it was just certainly one of those games where it was a tricky night.
‘I actually thought, especially once we went right down to 10 men, he was really vital and he did a variety of covering for other players to give you the chance to attack, so actually I believed he did well especially the longer the sport went on.’
Red Devils legend Neville was concerned when he saw Ugarte alongside Casemiro within the starting XI, feeling the pair cannot keep hold of the ball well enough.
‘After I saw the team, I wasn’t sure about it,’ Neville said on the Gary Neville Podcast.
‘Possibly it was the Ugarte-Casemiro partnership in midfield which Carrick probably feels he has to make use of since it is the 2 he has got and it’s the hand he has been dealt. However it’s not a partnership that’s ever going to work.
‘Casemiro has been a world class player and there have been times he was driving the team forward and scored the goal but Ugarte has been well short since he got here to the club and if he’s to play alongside someone, he needs a football player beside him because he is absolutely limited on the ball.
‘Carrick has not began him in a game, so meaning your midfield is blocked.’
The clash with Leeds can have been Ugarte’s first Manchester United start in over two months, but he was within the Uruguay XI that drew with England at the tip of March.
He has 36 caps for his country and can head to the World Cup this summer where Uruguay might be in a gaggle with Spain, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia.
Ugarte is unlikely to remain within the Manchester United team for long, with Carrick saying on Monday that Mainoo is barely coping with a minor issue.
‘Over the past day or so, Kobbie just had a problem in training,’ the manager told Sky Sports. ‘So it seems small but large enough to maintain him out tonight. It wasn’t definitely worth the risk, to be honest, so we’re hoping it’s pretty small and it won’t be too long.
‘Manu is available in tonight. He got here on and did well for us within the last game at Bournemouth and went away and played well for Uruguay so he’s well in control.
‘He’s been great in training and done great right through really and a part of what we’ve done, regardless that it’s not obvious because Kobbie and Case have played quite a bit.’
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