Erik ten Hag reveals why Manuel Ugarte doesn’t start for Manchester United vs Southampton
Erik ten Hag has explained his starting team to face Southampton
Erik ten Hag has opted to place Manuel Ugarte on the bench for Manchester United’s match against Southampton, citing concerns that he isn’t ready to start.
Ugarte joined Manchester United from Paris Saint-Germain for an initial €50 million (£42.3 million) on deadline day.
However, he was not registered in time to participate in the match against Liverpool.
The 23-year-old midfielder featured for Uruguay during the international break, playing 90 minutes against Venezuela on Tuesday night before returning to Manchester on Thursday.
Despite his late return and only having participated in two training sessions with his new team, some fans have advocated for Ugarte to be included in the starting lineup.
Instead, he has been named as a substitute, with Christian Eriksen starting in place of Casemiro.
Additionally, Amad Diallo has been brought into the starting XI, replacing Alejandro Garnacho, who recently liked a social media post criticizing Erik ten Hag’s management.
Ten Hag told MUTV: “I can’t say, it depends on the game and how it is going.
“He’s (Manuel Ugarte) had two sessions and not even full sessions with the team.
“He doesn’t know everyone and needs time to integrate.
“But of course, we hope to bring him in as soon as possible, but whether that is today, I don’t know.”
He continued: “Amad is in a very good run, all during pre-season and all the games he played, so he’s in a very good vibe, and Christian Eriksen has had a very good pre-season and is very good in training.
“So he earned his place and of course now, he has to prove, but everyone has to prove a point.
“We always want to play good, but if we don’t play good, we have to still win.”
United have picked p just three points from their first three games of the season and are under pressure to secure a win against Southampton, who have yet to earn a point since their promotion from the Championship.
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