Manchester United sent warning over Manuel Ugarte position: 'I lack certain things'

Manuel Ugarte has insisted he is not a defender after being played out of position during Uruguay’s 1-0 defeat to Peru.

Ugarte has made five appearances for Manchester United since completing his £51million move from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of August.

The 23-year-old’s adaption to English football hasn’t been helped by United’s poor form, with Erik ten Hag ’s side languishing in 14th place in the Premier League.

But after struggling as a centre-back for his country Ugarte has made it clear he is not keen on a positional change at his club.

“It was not a good match,” he told ESPN . “We did not play well, it was a shame because I still believe that we are much better, but the match was ugly for us. The dressing room was strong before the match, the atmosphere was nice, but little by little we faded and we did not show good things in the match.

“Everyone can play and has the conditions to do so, but many times, when changing players it takes a little [time] to adapt. It is not an excuse either, the team's performance dropped. We need to go deeper, as we saw against Peru, we have to keep working.

“Honestly, I felt good with the ball, but I lack certain things as a defender. These are things that always enrich a player.”

Ten Hag has previous for playing defensive midfielders at the back for United, having moved Casemiro there on occasions.

Ugarte will hope to impress on his next opportunity in midfield for United, having only made one start in the Premier League so far.

That came during the 3-0 beating at the hands of Tottenham, where the former Sporting Lisbon found himself overrun.

United return to action on Saturday when they host Brentford in the Premier League.

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