Ugarte was out before the end of the year, scuppering Manchester United's transfer plans

Manchester United and Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte faced the toughest test of his career. During the World Cup group stage match against Spain in Guadalajara, the 25-year-old badly twisted his leg trying to make a tackle and left the field on a stretcher. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Manchester United's management and medical staff remained cautiously optimistic as they awaited their own tests and hoped the worst-case scenario could be avoided. However, in-depth examinations finally shattered these hopes: the injury turned out to be much stronger. The player was diagnosed with severe damage to the ligaments of the knee. According to the latest information, Ugarte is out for a very long time and will be able to return to the field at least at the end of 2026. The football player himself confirmed his fears on his Instagram page even earlier, leaving an emotional post: "To suffer the most serious injury a footballer can face in one of the most important matches in the history of my country and to see it end like this... It's something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. But hitting rock bottom will make me stronger in every way. Success in life is starting over every time you fall." As a reminder, in the end, the two-time world champions took third place in Quartet H and left the World Cup. This news was a real blow to Manchester United's plans for the summer transfer window. Ugarte, who joined from PSG in 2024 for £50.8m, has not lived up to expectations at Old Trafford. It was expected that he would leave the team this summer - the management was counting on his full sale or a profitable lease, which would allow reinvesting funds in new players. It was reported that. Now these plans have been finally cancelled, and the club is forced to urgently change its strategy in the market. At the same time, United continue their search to strengthen the midfield. Currently, the situation looks like this: Ederson (Atalanta): The club is already a £35m transfer. However, the 26-year-old's medical had to be postponed due to his late call-up to Brazil's World Cup squad. He will pass the tests after the tournament and a three-week vacation. Elliott Anderson (Nottingham Forest): Man Utd refused to negotiate due to the transfer fee being too high and salary demands being too high. In the near future, the midfielder of the England national team is official Mateusz Fernandez (West Ham): But there is no agreement on the transfer fee yet. Tottenham is also actively interested in the player. The club continue to monitor Bournemouth's Alex Scott and Brighton's Carlos Baleba.