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Manchester United could be without Manuel Ugarte for Brentford's visit to Old Trafford on Saturday (October 19). The Red Devils' summer signing came off in the latter stages of Uruguay's 0-0 draw against Ecuador in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier last night (October 15).
Ugarte came off in the 82nd minute with what appeared to be a hamstring issue. It will come as a blow for Erik ten Hag, who is still trying to integrate the defensive midfielder into his team.
The Uruguayan has struggled at the start of his Manchester United career after arriving from Paris Saint-Germain. The Reds struck a reported £50.7 million deal with the Parisians to bring the former Sporting CP man to Old Trafford.
Ten Hag has opted chiefly to use Christian Eriksen and Casemiro over Ugarte. The young midfielder has continued to be a regular on international duty but might now be sidelined.
Ten Hag's men face Brentford in a vital clash for the Dutch manager amid growing speculation over his future. His team sits 14th in the league and has made the worst start to a Premier League campaign in the club's history after seven games.
Manchester United never informed Erik ten Hag about his future after meeting: Fabrizio Romano
Manchester United's co-owners, INEOS, met last week to discuss the team's gloomy start to the season. Ten Hag's job was thought to be the subject of discussion, with talk of Thomas Tuchel replacing him intensifying.
That didn't happen, though, as Tuchel instead became England's third-ever foreign manager. Ten Hag was back at Carrington on Thursday (October 15) to prepare the Reds for the game against Brentford.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano gave an update on the situation at United and explained why the club hierarchy didn't speak to the manager. He said on his YouTube channel:
"They are preparing for the Brentford game. Ten Hag didn’t receive any formal communication from the Man Utd board telling him he could continue in the job."
Romano added:
"Man United board never felt they had to tell the manager anything. They discussed the situation, the problems they have at the club, and the slow start in the Premier League and Europa League but they never had to tell something directly to Ten Hag."
Ten Hag signed a new one-year contract extension in the summer, keeping him tied to Manchester United until June 2026. He's overseen two wins and three defeats in seven league games, which has led to much criticism.
