Manchester United star Manuel Ugarte was in floods of tears as he was carried off the pitch on a stretcher as Uruguay crashed out of the 2026 World Cup.
After embarrassing draws against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde, Uruguay knew that defeat against tournament favourites Spain on Friday night would see them fail to reach the knockout stages.
And that is exactly what happened, as the South American giants fell to a 1-0 defeat in Guadalajara, courtesy of a costly mistake from goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
It was an ill-tempered and chaotic match, which also saw Agustin Canobbio sent off and manager Marcelo Bielsa rage at TV reporters.
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It was also an unfortunate night for Ugarte, who was left screaming in pain after appearing to catch his studs in the turf and injure his knee following a collision with teammate Mathias Olivera.
The incident occurred just seconds before Alex Baena’s winning goal, with the midfielder treated on the pitch before being stretchered off shortly before half-time.
Ugarte was visibly in tears as he was carried away and while there has been no official update at the time of writing, the prognosis is not positive, with some speculation that he could be sidelined for many months, if not a year.
United were planning to sell the 25-year-old who has largely underwhelmed since his £42million transfer from PSG two years ago.
Ugarte started just eight Premier League games last season and only one under Michael Carrick, who is looking to completely revamp the midfield in the wake of Casemiro’s departure.
Reports suggest AC Milan were in talks to sign Ugarte, which would reunite the Uruguayan with his former Sporting Lisbon and United manager Ruben Amorim.
But if his injury is as serious as predicted, it could scupper that deal and United’s short-term transfer plans.
The Red Devils were always planning to sign at least two central midfielders to replace Casemiro and Ugarte, but needed the money generated from his sale to help fund those transfers.
So far, United have brought in Ederson from Atalanta for £35m, while an £85m battle with Tottenham for West Ham’s Matheus Fernandes continues.
There is also interest in Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali and Real Madrid man Aurélien Tchouaméni.
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