Uruguay international Manuel Ugarte has conceded that he didn’t have a great game in his side’s 1-0 defeat to Peru in World Cup qualifying, acknowledging that adapting to an unfamiliar centre-back role takes time.
The 23-year-old defensive midfielder, who joined Manchester United from Paris Saint-Germain in a £51 million deal, started at centre-back in the loss but struggled to make an impact.
“Everyone can play and has the conditions to do so, but many times, when changing players it takes a little [time] to adapt,” he told reporters. “It is not an excuse either, the team’s performance dropped. We need to go deeper, as we saw against Peru, we have to keep working. Honestly, I felt good with the ball, but I lack certain things as a defender. These are things that always enrich a player and we will see what happens on Tuesday.”
Ugarte has started just one Premier League match since joining Manchester United, with manager Erik ten Hag opting to ease him into the team. He faces stiff competition from Christian Eriksen, who started ahead of him in the 0-0 draw against Aston Villa.
Ugarte is likely to start for Uruguay against Ecuador in World Cup qualifying on 16 October before returning to England for Manchester United’s match against Brentford on 19 October.
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