Manuel Ugarte Set to Play for Man Utd v Southampton

Manuel Ugarte is set to play for Manchester United against Southampton after the international break after proving his fitness for Uruguay, GIVEMESPORT sources have revealed.

The Uruguay international joined the club in a £51million deal from Paris Saint-Germain on transfer deadline day, but was unable to feature against Liverpool after missing the registration deadline as the Reds were beaten convincingly at Old Trafford.

However, after failing to have a full pre-season in Paris the “world-class” 23-year-old was never expected to feature in that game, but is now set to be considered to be part of Erik Ten Hag’s starting lineup for the next Premier League clash against Southampton on September 14th.

Ugarte Set to Get the Nod v Southampton

Midfielder played 80 minutes for Uruguay v Paraguay

Despite not featuring for Manchester United after penning a long-term contract, Ugarte was selected by coach Marcelo Bielsa to play in the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Paraguay as the holding midfielder.

The former Sporting CP star looked strong in midfield on Friday night and played almost 80 minutes, proving he is ready fitness wise for the Red Devils if they choose to call upon his services. GIVEMESPORT sources have shared that Ugarte has a good regular level fo fitness that means he will be fit very quickly, and the expectation is that he will feature against Southampton as long as the travel to and from international duty doesn’t impact him negatively in the coming days.

Ugarte put in a solid display and showed he is very safe in possession, while showed he will also be able to help United defensively even if not 100 percent fit as he was often given large spaces to protect on his own.

His combativeness will bring a different edge to the United midfield, something that has been missing, and it’s believed he could replace a struggling Casemiro in midfield alongside Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes. His intuition and reading of the game is considered to be very good, and he is always willing to burst out of his own area to make a challenge of intercept play, which could be a big help to Ten Hag’s style.

While Ugarte was excellent on the pitch in defensive midfield and helped the team to a clean sheet, the Uruguay game was all about Luis Suarez as he played in his final game for the country before hanging up his boots for the team.

Man Utd ‘In Mix’ for Adrien Rabiot Signing

French midfielder is a free agent

Despite the signing of Ugarte on deadline day, and the expectation that Casemiro will stay at the club despite interest from Turkey, Manchester United may still look to add to their midfield options.

France international Adrien Rabiot has been linked with a move to Old Trafford for several years, and after leaving Juventus at the end of his contract he remains a free agent despite major interest all summer from a host of clubs.

And according to a report from Teamtalk, Man United and Newcastle are still in the mix for his signature but no final decision has been made yet on his future.

All stats courtesy of Sofascore.