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Published Jun 27, 2026, 12:47 PM GMT+1
Ben is an experienced sports writer and editor, graduating with a Master’s in Sports Journalism in 2017.
Ben counts experience with publications like The Liverpool Echo and The Lincolnshire Echo. He has covered various sports, from American football to Mixed Martial Arts, but his primary passion is football reporting.
Since joining Football FanCast in 2018, starting out as a freelance writer covering nearly every team in the English football ladder, Ben has progressed through the ranks. He now leads the publication’s news team as a senior editor.
Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte was stretchered off during Uruguay's elimination from the World Cup on Friday evening and football injury analyst Physio Scout has provided a timeline on his recovery.
Spain topped Group H after beating Uruguay 1-0 in a fiery encounter in Guadalajara.
With Uruguay desperate to avoid a second-straight group-stage exit, Spain looked much more comfortable in the early stages, though neither side were able to quickly get off the mark.
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Physio Scout is a sports scientist and physio who boasts over 60,000 followers on social media. They share immediate analysis on injuries based on the footage and images available, predicting recovery timelines based on similar injuries. |
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Ugarte makes £120,000-a-week at Manchester United, sitting outside of the club's top ten earners. He is valued at around £25m this summer and was expected to be sold to make room for new midfielders. |
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Ugarte played 22 times in the Premier League last season, but only started eight of those games. He is best known for his tackling and ability to break up play, averaging three tackles and interceptions per game combined in the top flight. |
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The injury could throw a spanner into United's transfer plans. Various reports have claimed the club want to bring in three new midfielders this summer, but that was expected to be dependent on selling players like Ugarte. |
That changed in the 42nd minute, when Spanish midfielder Alex Baena fired an effort the ball into the bottom corner with help from some questionable goalkeeping from Fernando Muslera.
Uruguay lost Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte to injury shortly afterwards. He was stretchered off after colliding with one of his team-mates.
Ugarte could miss entire 2026/27 season
Ugarte appeared to jolt his left knee as his foot caught in the ground during a collision with a teammate, and Physio Scout reports it is likely an ACL tear with possible meniscus damage, spotting a worrying 'calf ripple'.
"Valgus at the knee + a non-contact, pivoting mechanism points towards an ACL tear (+/- meniscus).
"A calf ripple was also seen, which typically results in a tear. Expected Recovery Time: 9-12 months."
This would rule Ugarte out of most or all of next season and place his next career move in serious jeopardy.
United forced to reassess midfield rebuild
The injury to the 25 year-old leaves United with difficult questions to answer ahead of a summer which was intended to be spent transforming their midfield.
Fabrizio Romano previously reported the club planned to bring in as many as three new faces in the position, but that was always going to depend on outgoings, and a season-ending injury would make it impossible to tempt a club into buying the former PSG star.
United dropped out of the race for Elliot Anderson as soon as it became apparent Nottingham Forest would demand more than £100m, and they did the same last summer when Brighton stood firm on Carlos Baleba's valuation.
Indeed, the savvy move to bring in Ederson for around £35m shows exactly where the club's mentality lies.
Their top target appears to be Mateus Fernandes, who West Ham are willing to sell to the highest bidder.
The Hammers are hoping to bring in more than £85m from the Portuguese midfielder's sale amid interest from United and Tottenham, and that deal on top of Ederson would take the spending in midfield to around £120m.
Without the sale of Ugarte to bring that number back down below the £100m mark, Michael Carrick could be forced to settle for just two new additions in his midfield ranks.
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