(4-4-2) New Man united line up under Ruud van Nistelrooy as INEOS set Him His first important role against Crystal Palace
(4-4-2) New Man united line up under Ruud van Nistelrooy as INEOS set Him His first important role against Crystal Palace
Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte was given his first start for the club against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, and Mark Goldbridge has suggested that he keeps his place against Crystal Palace.
The Uruguayan international was given his first opportunity to impress off the bench against Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday, helping the Red Devils see out the game in the second half. As Erik ten Hag looks to slowly bed him into the side, Ugarte played from the start against Barnsley on Tuesday evening.
United return to Premier League action on Saturday as they travel to the capital to face Crystal Palace, so it will be interesting to see whether ten Hag trusts Ugarte in his starting XI.
Ten Hag Urged to Start Ugarte Against Palace
He was substituted in the second half
Ugarte was taken off just after the hour mark as ten Hag looked to freshen things up in midfield. Ten Hag now has a decision to make on whether to start Ugarte in the Premier League this weekend, but Goldbridge believes that he will be lining up in the middle of the park…
Ugarte, described as ‘unreal’ by Owen Hargreaves, will offer United a lot more protection in midfield than we’ve seen in the early stages of the season. The Uruguay international is a touch-tackling ball-winner and could be what United need to nullify the threat of Eberechi Eze.
Ten Hag opted for a midfield three of Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, and Christian Eriksen in United’s victory over Southampton last time out in the Premier League. The natural option to drop out if Ugarte was to come in would likely be Eriksen given how Fernandes and Mainoo have performed in recent months.
Palace have struggled in the first few weeks of the Premier League campaign, so it could be an ideal opportunity for United to continue their momentum and string a strong run of results together.
Late in the victory against Barnsley, ten Hag opted to bring on Bruno Fernandes despite his side being 5-0 up at the time. The Red Devils certainly didn’t need extra attacking influence with the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford running riot.
ESPN reporter Rob Dawson questioned the decision, suggesting that it was an ‘interesting’ substitution. The journalist didn’t elaborate on his point, but there’s an argument to suggest that he’s hinting it was unnecessary for Fernandes to be introduced. The Portuguese international could have done with a much-needed rest after playing a lot of football in recent years.
