Manchester United faced a disappointing 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Saturday, adding to their woes after a previous loss to Arsenal. The match started poorly for United, with Nikola Milenkovic scoring for Forest just two minutes in with a powerful header from a corner.

While Rasmus Hojlund managed to equalize for the Red Devils, a blunder from goalkeeper Andre Onana allowed Forest to regain the lead early in the second half. Soon after, Chris Wood made it 3-1 for Forest. Bruno Fernandes pulled one back for United, but they were unable to find an equalizer.

Despite several underperformers in the squad, one standout was Manuel Ugarte. The 23-year-old midfielder, who had a successful spell at Sporting CP under Ruben Amorim, showcased his talent with a brilliant threaded pass that helped set up United’s first goal. His performance was impressive, boasting a passing accuracy of 94% with 60 touches, winning 50% of his ground duels and 100% of his aerial duels. Ugarte also made six recoveries and won two tackles before being substituted in the 76th minute, likely due to fatigue.

Having been United’s best player against Arsenal and again showing his quality against Forest, Ugarte appears to be finding his form and has become a key figure in the midfield under Amorim’s guidance. Amad Diallo also had a notable performance, contributing another assist, but Ugarte’s influence on the game has made him an undroppable asset in the starting XI.