Man United star should never play for the club again after dreadful display in Leeds defeat

Jack Otway
Tue, 14 Apr 2026 08:26:21 +0000

When Manchester United splurged £50million on Manuel Ugarte back in the summer transfer window of 2024, they thought they were finally solving their midfield problem.

The Uruguay international had made a name for himself at Sporting Lisbon, where he flourished under the guidance of Ruben Amorim, before starting to establish himself at Paris Saint-Germain in France.

Erik ten Hag believed Ugarte had the potential to be a midfield general and the ideal replacement for Casemiro, who was struggling at the time.

Fast-forward to now, however, and it's patently clear that the 25-year-old isn't good enough. Following a shambolic performance against Leeds on Monday night, United should never play him again.

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

Of course, there were many bad performers yesterday evening. Matheus Cunha, Amad Diallo and Leny Yoro were among them, with the trio all poor as Leeds sprung a shock to boost their chances of staying in the Premier League.

Lisandro Martinez also toiled long before his controversial red card, with the Argentina international dismissed for pulling the hair of Leeds hitman Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

But Ugarte was the worst of the lot, with the former Sporting and PSG star utterly wretched as white shirts ran rings round him over and over again.

The Uruguayan was given a rare start in the absence of Kobbie Mainoo and was deployed alongside Casemiro in the centre of the field.

Time and time again, however, he found himself overrun.

For a player dubbed a midfield 'destroyer', Leeds were able to target him as a weak link. It was clear to see why, with Ugarte lacking the speed to track back to close down Noah Okafor for both of the visitors' goals.

LATEST SPORTS NEWS:

Scottie Scheffler makes complaint after Rory McIlroy makes history with Masters triumph

Shane Warne's son blames 'forced' Covid vaccine for death of cricket icon

Rory McIlroy denied dream green jacket moment despite Masters triumph

His passing was awry, too, drawing loud groans and moans from the Old Trafford faithful. He played just two progressive passes, instead opting to spray the ball sideways or backwards.

Given what United fans demand, that's simply unforgivable. Especially when the club are chasing a goal or two to get back into a match.

Roy Keane led the criticism while working as a pundit for Sky Sports. Referring to both Casemiro and Ugarte, he raged: "When you start a game that slowly, it's hard to recover.

“You’ve got to run and Man Utd weren’t sprinting. A little bit at the end, but it was too little, too late.

“It’s a big setback for them.

“The midfield was non-existent, particularly in the first half. No energy, no quality and Leeds were out of the blocks quickly. A fantastic result for them.”

This isn't a one-off, either. Against Newcastle in March, Ugarte was flat upon coming off the bench as Eddie Howe's side won 2-1.

In September, he was withdrawn against Manchester City in the derby, having been hapless all game as the hosts ran riot.

Even in pre-season, against Arsenal, his shortcomings were clear for all to see with the 25-year-old gifting a goal to Kai Havertz.

It's an open secret that United will sign a midfielder this summer. They might even get two, with Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali on their radar.

But Ugarte has to go.

Like Kleberson and Eric Djemba-Djemba before him, he's simply out of his depth. Old Trafford is no place for the weak and the sooner he's cut loose, the better for everybody involved.