Ugarte played 90 minutes of Uruguay’s World Cup qualifier against Chile on the road last night in what was another disappointing performance for the 24-year-old who failed to lock down the midfield and control the game.
United have just one win from their first four games of the season, after beating Burnley 3-2 at Old Trafford before the September international break, and quite often fans look for a scapegoat to blame their performances on.
In recent months many have latched on to Ugarte and the latest to criticize the playmaker is ex-Scotland international Burley who spoke to ESPN about how the Uruguayan adds little to the United side.
"Manuel Ugarte is just absolutely nothing. He’s just like a wet blanket. Put him in with the kids and even the kids would be going, 'Who the hell is this guy?' Seriously."
As things stand at United, Casemiro is the preferred holding midfielder in manager Ruben Amorim’s system despite the Brazilian being 33 years old. Reports state that Ugarte should be aiming to push him for a place in the team, but so far he has done little to prove his worth.
United face rivals Manchester City on on Sunday as the Premier League returns from the international break, and Ugarte is likely to be on the bench once more as Amorim continues to look over the young midfielder.