New Manchester United signing Manuel Ugarte played his first minutes of the new season, taking part in 79 minutes of Uruguay’s 0-0 World Cup qualification draw with Paraguay.
The third place finishers in Copa America dominated possession with 66% of the ball and had 11 shots to the visitors’ eight, but could not make their advantage count.
The draw sees La Celeste remain in second place in the league standings, four points behind leaders Argentina.
Ugarte started at the base of a three-man midfield in a 4-3-3 formation alongside Federico Valverde and Brian Rodriquez.
United’s new €60 million man put in a typically combative midfield display, full of duels and cutting out passing lanes.
He was given a score of 7.3 for his performance by Sofascore.
The midfielder played the majority of the match in what will be welcome minutes in his legs as he will aim to get fit enough to start or at least play significant minutes against Southampton in one week’s time.
Ugarte had 85 touches of the ball and completed 52 out of his 60 passes for an accuracy of 87%.
One of the biggest criticisms the Uruguayan has faced is his on-the-ball skills, so fans will be relieved that he kept it simple and the ball moving in the midfield department.
He was also responsible for one key pass that almost led to a goal for his side.
Ugarte showed off his passing range as he completed eight out of his 12 long balls, which will excite United supporters as they have many pacey forwards such as Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund who love to run in behind from accurate long passes, usually provided by Bruno Fernandes.
As usual though, the midfield general excelled in his defensive work.
He was involved in an impressive 12 ground duels, winning nine of them for a success rate of 75%.
There was a moment in the 40th minute of play where Paraguay’s Enciso was running with the ball and out of nowhere United’s new signing flew into a tackle, winning the ball cleanly, something the Old Trafford crowd will love to see.
Ugarte also won three out of his four aerial duels, as very little got past him on the night.
He also made three clearances, five tackles, and one interception as his team kept a valuable clean sheet.
The United man will be hoping for further significant minutes when his nation travels to Venezuela on Tuesday night.
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