11x possession lost, 25% aerials won: Carrick must now drop £42m Man Utd star vs Chelsea after 3/10 display

Manchester United suffered a disappointing 2-1 Premier League defeat to Leeds United at Old Trafford on Monday night.

The Red Devils are in pole position to qualify for the Champions League, but missed out on the opportunity to extend the seven-point lead over sixth-placed Chelsea.

Noah Okafor’s first-half brace sealed the victory for the Whites. Casemiro scored a consolation goal for the Red Devils after Lisandro Martinez was unfortunately sent off.

United will feel hard done by the result. Dominic Calvert-Lewin clearly fouled Leny Yoro in the lead-up to Leeds’ opening goal, while Martinez’s sending off also seemed harsh.

However, that does not cover up some poor performances. Manuel Ugarte got the nod to start alongside Casemiro in midfield after Kobbie Mainoo was ruled out of the game.

Ugarte had a good passing accuracy of 88 percent, but he was guilty of repeatedly losing possession. He gifted the ball on 11 occasions and won just 25 percent of his aerial duels (1/4).

The Uruguayan also failed to block the cross in the lead-up to Leeds’ opener. Ugarte has endured a tough campaign, and United have won just one of their 10 matches in which he has started. He received a 3/10 rating from Manchester Evening News.

Yesterday was another firm example of why he has been out of contention for a starting spot. The £42 million signing struggled with his positioning and came under criticism from fans at the stadium, too.

In our view, the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder may have started his final United game.

Interim manager Michael Carrick must drop him this weekend. Kobbie Mainoo was ruled out with a minor injury in training but should be fit in time to face Chelsea on the road on Saturday night.

Ugarte has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford in recent months, and we won’t be surprised if he is one of the first players to be shown the exit door during the summer transfer window.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .