Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte was carried off on a stretcher as Uruguay were eliminated from the World Cup on Friday night, and the soccer injury analyst physio scout provided a timetable for his recovery.
Spain defeated Uruguay 1-0 in Guadalajara, taking the lead in Group H.
Spain looked the easier side in the early stages, with Uruguay desperate to avoid a second successive group stage exit, but neither team was able to find the points quickly.
Football Fancast Verdict | |
|---|---|
reliability | Physio Scout is a sports scientist and physical therapist with over 60,000 followers on social media. They share instant analysis of injuries based on available footage and images and predict recovery schedules based on similar injuries. |
finances | Ugarte earns £120,000 a week at Manchester United, placing him outside of the club’s top 10 earners. He was valued at around £25m this summer and was expected to be sold to make room for a new midfielder. |
scouting | Ugarte played in 22 Premier League games last season, but only started eight of them. He is best known for his tackling and ability to break up play, averaging a combined three tackles and interceptions per game in the top flight. |
impact | The injury could disrupt United’s transfer plans. According to various reports, the club wants to sign three new midfielders this summer, but that was expected to depend on the sale of players like Ugarte. |
Things changed in the 42nd minute, when Spanish midfielder Alex Baena fired the ball into the bottom corner, with some help from some questionable goalkeeping from Fernando Muslera.
Shortly after, Uruguay lost Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte to injury. He was carried off on a stretcher after colliding with one of his teammates.
Ugarte could miss the entire 2026/27 season
Ugarte appeared to have jolted his left knee after his foot caught on the ground during a collision with a teammate, and a physio scout reported that this was likely an anterior cruciate ligament tear with possible meniscal damage, and found a worrying “calf ripple”.
“Knee valgus + non-contact pivoting mechanism directed at ACL tear (+/- meniscus).
“Calf ripples are also seen, and tears usually occur. Expected recovery time: 9 to 12 months.”
This means Ugarte will miss most or all of next season, putting his move on to the next part of his career in serious jeopardy.
United need to rebuild midfield
The 25-year-old’s injury leaves United with difficult questions to answer ahead of a summer that was supposed to be spent transforming their midfield.
Fabrizio Romano previously reported that the club was planning to bring in up to three new players in this position, but that was always subject to release and a season-ending injury would make it impossible for the club to sign the former PSG star.
United withdrew from the race for Elliott Anderson as soon as it became clear that Nottingham Forest would demand more than £100m, and they did something similar last summer when Brighton held firm on their valuation of Carlos Baleva.
Indeed, the smart move to sign Ederson for around £35m shows exactly where the club’s mentality is.
Their top target appears to be Matheus Fernandes, with West Ham apparently keen to sell to the highest bidder.
The Hammers hope to earn more than £85m from selling the Portuguese midfielder amid growing interest from United and Tottenham, and a deal in addition to Ederson would take their midfield outlay to around £120m.
Unless he sells Ugarte and brings that figure back below £100m, Michael Carrick may have to be content with just two new midfield players.
