'An incredible feeling': Manuel Ugarte looks to kick on after best game yet for Man United in derby win

Uruguayan midfielder becoming a fans' favourite after nailing down place in Ruben Amorim's team

Amad Diallo of Manchester United celebrates scoring his team's second goal with teammates in the 2-1 Premier League win against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on December 15, 2024. Getty Images

Amad Diallo of Manchester United celebrates scoring his team's second goal. Getty Images

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola during the game. Getty Images

Amad Diallo of Manchester United scores his team's winner. Getty Images

Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United scores his team's first goal from the penalty spot. Getty Images

Josko Gvardiol of Manchester City celebrates scoring his team's first goal with teammate Ruben Dias. Getty Images

Josko Gvardiol of Manchester City scores his team's opening goal. Getty Images

Tempers flare after a coming together between Manchester City's Kyle Walker and Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund. PA

Manchester City's Phil Foden has a shot. EPA

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim consoles Mason Mount after he was substituted following another injury. Reuters

Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City takes on Lisandro Martinez of Manchester United. Getty Images

Jeremy Doku of Manchester City is closed down by Noussair Mazraoui of Manchester United. Getty Images

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola before the kick-off. Getty Images

Manchester United playing nine games this month is one reason why the club’s new Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte is not getting to see much of his new home.

Footballers arriving in England often struggle with the number of games in their first festive season. Football is paused for a winter break in rival leagues, while in December in Ugarte’s native Uruguay it’s time to hit the beach in Punta del Este.

But there will be none of that for the 23-year-old midfielder, who on Sunday enjoyed his best game since his £42 million (potentially rising to £50.5m) move from Paris Saint-Germain in August.

“I’ve not seen much of Manchester because in this league there are so many games, but what I’ve seen is all very nice and tranquil,” Ugarte told The National after the 2-1 derby win over Manchester City. “It’s a good place to be for a footballer.”

Ugarte began slowly at United with only one start in the first six Premier League games at his new club. That was in the 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur when Ugarte was helpless for the first goal and outwitted by James Maddison. He wouldn’t start any of Erik ten Hag’s final three league matches and it stood to reason: Ten Hag had wanted to retain Sofyan Amrabat, but the club insisted on Ugarte.

Temporary boss Ruud van Nistelrooy started Ugarte in his first game and he kept his place for all four games under the former United striker. Ugarte thus found his feet in the Premier League.

“I have a good connection with Manu [Ugarte],” his fellow midfielder Casemiro told The National after a league win against Leicester City last month. “When one goes forward, the other covers, and vice versa. That is how it has to be, one complements the other. I think the other games have been like this.

“So, I have a good connection with him. He is a great person. He's a good kind of person. Then, little by little, he is also showing that he is a national team player from Uruguay, from a team that has good players. Then he has total respect, not only mine, but all the players. And well, it is good for us to have good players, so we have a much better squad.”

Under new coach Ruben Amorim, Ugarte now starts ahead of Casemiro and he’s justifying that selection – with Sunday the high point so far.

“All good, very content, very happy,” added Ugarte after the game. “An incredible feeling when the second goal was scored. For the goal, the celebration, the game, the victory, for us and for the happiness of the fans.”

Asked whether it was his best game for Manchester United so far, Ugarte replied: “I think so. It was a beautiful game and when you consider who it was against, I am happy with how it went. We were confident before the game, optimistic.

"But I just think forward and to the next game on Thursday" at Tottenham.

The game was not without its challenges as United came from behind to snatch a late victory, so how did he feel after they went behind late in the first half?

“Optimistic, as you saw,” replied Ugarte. “Without doubt. We knew that if we carried on playing as we were then we’d get chances to get equal and then win. We had opportunities before they scored, we were generating chances and that’s important. We knew there would be more and we improved in the second half. We had opportunities to score after they scored. And once we got the first we only thought about the second.”

It's fair to say that United fans are warming to him, and the feeling is mutual. “They were spectacular,” Ugarte said of the support on Sunday. “I heard the songs. It’s like South America, but different songs. The fans of United are crazy. In a good way.”

Ugarte, who played under Amorim for Sporting before his move to PSG, has thrived having been reunited with his old boss. Defensively, he positions himself well without the ball and is ready to win tackles.

"Today my job was to get the ball back from them, to win the second balls,” he said. “When we didn’t have the ball, press them and pressure them. And when I did have the ball, I made the simple passes to move the team forward. My main role was to be on the winning team.

"Today, they have a lot of good players in the middle and it was hard to get the ball back, but they weren’t pressing aggressively and that makes having the ball easier. They generated some plays, but we did well."

As well as breaking up play, Ugarte impressed on the ball, happy in the 3-4-3 formation where there’s less of a burden on him to move the ball up the pitch as United’s three central midfielders are also required to do that.

The derby win gave United a boost, but it has still been a poor season and the league table makes uncomfortable reading for fans – United are 13th, though only three points behind sixth-placed Bournemouth, who they play at Old Trafford on Sunday. Before that there is Thursday’s League Cup quarter-final away at Tottenham Hotspur to be negotiated.

“There’s a good feeling in the dressing room,” said Ugarte. “It’s a new project with a new coach and it’s very important for us to know what he wants, but it’s obvious that United need to be fighting for titles and playing in the Champions League and not be where we are.

"That’s our objective but we have to get there step by step, little by little, game by game. You saw today what this team can do. We have confidence but also humility. We are United.”