Manchester United had one player in World Cup action yesterday. Manuel Ugarte’s Uruguay crashed out of the tournament with a 1-0 loss to Spain.
They finished third in the group, but their two points will not be enough to see them qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.
Cape Verde did the incredible and confirmed second place in their group with a draw with Saudi Arabia to make it through to the last 32.
Terrible luck
It was an even more horrendous evening for Manuel Ugarte as he picked up a serious-looking injury.
Ugarte collided with his own teammate, Mathias Olivera, and twisted his knee.
The midfielder was clearly in huge amounts of distress and had to be stretchered off the pitch in tears.
He only played 44 minutes of the game before he had to be removed from the action.
Up to that point, he made one key pass and completed 67% of his passing attempts.
He won all of his three ground duels and completed one tackle in the match.
The midfielder had also made one interception and two clearances in the game against the Spanish.
Ugarte had also carried the ball forward four times in the middle of the park.
Update on injury
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that United fear that the injury could be a serious one and are waiting to get in contact with the player to assess the damage.
The Italian journalist also expressed that any potential injury could dramatically affect his future, as United were planning on selling the midfielder to help fund a summer midfield rebuild.
Manuel Ugarte stats vs Spain
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Expected assists (xA) | 0 |
| Key passes | 1 |
| Crosses (accurate) | 0 (0) |
| Accurate passes | 10/15 (67%) |
| Passes in opposition half (acc.) | 4/8 (50%) |
| Passes in own half (acc.) | 6/7 (86%) |
| Total shots | 0 |
| Shots on target | 0 |
| Shots blocked | 0 |
| Touches | 21 |
| Dribbles (successful) | 0 (0) |
| Possession lost | 5 |
| Total carrying distance | 26.4 m |
| Carries | 4 |
| Total progression | 17.1 m |
| Def. contributions | 6 |
| Tackles (won) | 3 (1) |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Clearances | 2 |
| Blocked shots | 0 |
| Recoveries | 2 |
| Ground duels (won) | 3 (3) |
| Dribbled past | 0 |
Featured image Molly Darlington via Getty Images
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