Uruguay international Manuel Ugarte admitted he did not have a great game as his side were beaten by Peru in World Cup qualifying.
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Ugarte played at centre-back in defeatSays it will take time for team to adaptHas started one league game for Man UtdFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Although a defensive midfielder, Ugarte made a rare appearance at centre-back as Uruguay were beaten 1-0 in Peru's first win of the campaign on Saturday. The 23-year-old came to his team's defence after the game and had mixed feelings about his own performance.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT UGARTE SAID
"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."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Ugarte has started one Premier League match since joining Manchester United from Paris Saint-Germain as Erik ten Hag opted to ease the £51 million ($60m) signing into the team. He was left on the bench as United drew 0-0 against Aston Villa last week, however, as Ten Hag gave Christian Eriksen the nod to start instead.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR UGARTE?
Ugarte will likely start again when Uruguay meet Ecuador in qualifying later this week. He will then return to England to prepare for United's match against Brentford on October 19.
