After a goal-creating tackle and goal-saving block against Fenerbahce, summer signing Manuel Ugarte drew praise from Manchester United fans. This recent feature in United Review, the official matchday programme, looked at the journey that made the Uruguayan a midfielder who fights for every ball...
A versatile youngster accustomed to playing various roles in the youth ranks of Montevideo club Fenix, Ugarte initially raised eyebrows and broke records in Uruguay when he was handed his senior debut in a 4-1 win over Danubio aged just 15, making him the country’s youngest top-flight debutant of the 21st century. Though he was carefully dipped back into action over the coming campaigns, it was under the management of former La Celeste international Juan Ramon Carrasco that Ugarte began hastily refining his game as an archetypal, ball-winning midfielder.