Man Utd star who’s ‘horrible’ for opponents to face named unsung hero of derby win

Manuel Ugarte has received praise for being ‘horrible’ to play against after he played a key role in Manchester United beating rivals Manchester City at the weekend.

Ruben Amorim’s first Manchester derby was one to remember as his Man Utd side completed a sensational comeback to win 2-1 at the Etihad and pile more misery on struggling champions City. Josko Gvardiol had given City the lead in the first half by heading home from a deflected Kevin De Bruyne cross, only for United to steal all three points late on.

United’s star performer, Amad Diallo, did brilliantly to pounce on a poor Matheus Nunes backpass and then win a penalty from the City midfielder. This allowed Bruno Fernandes to step up and get United on level terms.

Amad then raced onto a long pass from Lisandro Martinez before controlling the ball over Ederson and then finishing into the bottom corner to hand United a stunning victory.

While Amad rightly got all the praise after the game, pundit Troy Deeney believes Ugarte also deserves credit after adding tenacity to United’s midfield, something the team has been severely lacking in recent years.

“He has really, really surprised me,” Deeney said after naming Ugarte in his BBC Sport Team of the Week.

“I know it’s still early days under the new manager, but Ugarte has a bit of bite about him. He’s a bit horrible and even at 1-0 down he was making important tackles, blocks and getting attacks started.

“I thought he was the catalyst as to why they went on to win. I thought if it wasn’t for him they wouldn’t actually be in the game. An underrated performance that only his team-mates will appreciate.”

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Manuel Ugarte improving under Amorim

Ugarte joined United in August when the Red Devils paid Paris Saint-Germain an initial £42million for him. The deal has the potential to rise to £50.5m through add-ons.

Like several of United’s other recent signings, Ugarte got off to a tricky start, though he is now proving his worth.

The Uruguayan was signed as a replacement for Casemiro and he looks set to form a great midfield partnership with Kobbie Mainoo.

Erik ten Hag struggled to get the best out of Ugarte but he is starting to thrive under the Dutchman’s replacement, Amorim.

Ugarte and Amorim know each other well after working together at Sporting CP, and that relationship will only benefit United going forward.

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Meanwhile, an Arsenal insider has reacted to claims the Gunners could swoop in for United forward Marcus Rashford.

Both Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were left out of the United squad for the clash against City, sparking talk about their futures.

Charles Watts has moved to cool down speculation that Arsenal will bid for Rashford, stating he is ‘not what they need’.

Although, the winger does look set to move on from United in the near future as he has been put up for sale as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ‘cultural reboot’.

Rashford could be followed out of Old Trafford by Andre Onana, too.

Onana joined United in summer 2023 to reunite with his former Ajax boss Ten Hag.

While Onana is great with his feet, he is also prone to making bad errors, which could force Amorim to enter the market for a new goalkeeper.

As per the Spanish press, Amorim has ‘lost patience’ with Onana and is keen on making Nice shot-stopper Marcin Bulka his new No 1.

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