Michael Carrick defends Manchester United flop after Gary Neville criticism | Football

Michael Carrick has defended the form of Manuel Ugarte after Gary Neville said the midfielder has been ‘well short’ ever since he joined Manchester United.

Ugarte was in the starting XI for the Red Devils for the first time under Carrick as they hosted Leeds United on Monday night.

The Uruguayan got the nod as Kobbie Mainoo was out injured, playing at the base of midfield alongside Casemiro.

Things did not go well for Ugarte or Carrick’s side in general, beaten 2-1 by the Yorkshire side in an underwhelming display at Old Trafford, not helped by a red card for Lisandro Martinez.

The 25-year-old joined Manchester United from PSG in August 2024 for a fee of around £42m, but has failed to impress under managers Erik ten Hag, Ruben Amorim and now Carrick.

Neville has described the Uruguay international as ‘really limited on the ball’ but Carrick said he was happy enough with how Ugarte played against Leeds.

Asked if he was concerned over the midfielder’s form, Carrick said: ‘No. No no. I think when he’s played since I’ve been here…whatever’s gone on before has gone on before, it’s not for me to comment on. Since I’ve come, when he’s played and he’s come on he’s been fine.

‘Tonight was a tough game, not just for Manu, I think it was just one of those games where it was a tough night.

‘I actually thought, especially when we went down to 10 men, he was really important and he did a lot of covering for other players to be able to attack, so actually I thought he did well especially the longer the game went on.’

Red Devils legend Neville was concerned when he saw Ugarte alongside Casemiro in the starting XI, feeling the pair cannot keep hold of the ball well enough.

‘When I saw the team, I wasn’t sure about it,’ Neville said on the Gary Neville Podcast.

‘Maybe it was the Ugarte-Casemiro partnership in midfield which Carrick probably feels he has to use because it is the two he has got and it is the hand he has been dealt. But it’s not a partnership that is ever going to work.

‘Casemiro has been a world class player and there were times he was driving the team forward and scored the goal but Ugarte has been well short since he came to the club and if he is to play alongside someone, he needs a football player beside him because he is really limited on the ball.

‘Carrick has not started him in a game, so that means your midfield is blocked.’

The clash with Leeds may have been Ugarte’s first Manchester United start in over two months, but he was in the Uruguay XI that drew with England at the end of March.

He has 36 caps for his country and will head to the World Cup this summer where Uruguay will be in a group with Spain, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia.

Ugarte is unlikely to stay in the Manchester United team for long, with Carrick saying on Monday that Mainoo is only dealing with a minor issue.

‘Over the last day or so, Kobbie just had an issue in training,’ the manager told Sky Sports. ‘So it seems small but big enough to keep him out tonight. It wasn’t worth the risk, to be honest, so we’re hoping it’s pretty small and it won’t be too long.

‘Manu comes in tonight. He came on and did well for us in the last game at Bournemouth and went away and played well for Uruguay so he’s well up to speed.

‘He’s been great in training and done great all the way through really and part of what we’ve done, even though it’s not obvious because Kobbie and Case have played a lot.’

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