Manuel Ugarte shown up by Lisandro Martinez in Man Utd loss – when will enough be enough? | OneFootball

A statistic flashed up on the Sky Sports screen as the game between Aston Villa and Manchester United was about to kick off: Manuel Ugarte had been on the losing side on each of his past six starts.

Restored to the starting lineup in the Premier League for the first time since September, Ugarte proceeded to extend that streak to seven, as Villa claimed a 2-1 win courtesy of a Morgan Rogers brace.

United were without Kobbie Mainoo due to injury and Casemiro due to suspension, stretching their midfield options and leaving Ruben Amorim with little choice but to start Ugarte.

An injury to Bruno Fernandes exacerbated the personnel problems in the United midfield, leading to Lisandro Martinez – a natural centre-back – coming on to partner Ugarte in the second half.

What followed spoke volumes of Ugarte’s recent struggles. A glance at the social media reaction from United fans highlighted how Martinez’s performance was preferred.

One X user wrote: “Ugarte shouldn’t be playing for United again. Even if Mainoo and Bruno are injured, put Martinez next to Casemiro, there’s no way he deserves to start again. Horrible, horrible player.

Another posted: “Martinez playing out of position and doing better than Ugarte has ever done tells you a lot.”

And at full time, one concluded: “Lisandro Martinez has put himself ahead of Manuel Ugarte in the midfield pecking order.”

The stats suggested there was some truth to the theory. Ugarte was taken off after 73 minutes, but Martinez’s 45-minute cameo boasted some better metrics.

Ugarte’s stats against Villa compared to Martinez’s

Martinez made more accurate passes (29 compared to Ugarte’s 26), with a pass completion rate of 91% (superior to Ugarte’s 81%).

Ugarte touched the ball 44 times, which was only marginally more than Martinez’s 38. When factoring in how much time each of them spent on the pitch, it spoke volumes of their involvement.

Out of possession, Ugarte did outrank Martinez for tackles (five compared to one) and interceptions (two compared to none), but was also dribbled past twice (Martinez wasn’t at all) and committed four fouls compared to Martinez’s one.

It raises questions over Ugarte’s prospects of having a long-term Man Utd career. He’s been at the club for 18 months now and remains under contract until 2029, but the tide has long since been turning against him.

Even reuniting with his former Sporting CP boss Amorim hasn’t helped him reach a reliable level.

United are preparing to transform their midfield in 2026, ideally with two signings. You have to wonder whether Ugarte will end up being a casualty.

Casemiro is coming to the end of his contract, but United could be inclined to offer him a short-term new deal. Mainoo wants out for more gametime, but the Red Devils aren’t keen to let him go. And Fernandes’ future has a question mark over it, but he realistically remains one of their better players.

Depending on the severity of Fernandes and Mainoo’s injuries, United may not have the luxury of selling Ugarte in January. But he is on borrowed time to save his career at the club.

Ugarte cost up to £50.5m when United signed him from PSG and that doesn’t look like value for money at the moment. A centre-back still on the comeback trail from an ACL injury showed better signs than him against Villa.

And while it wasn’t the main reason they lost the game, United will have to start thinking carefully about Ugarte’s future.