Overview
- Manchester United confirmed on July 15 that Manuel Ugarte had successful surgery for a knee‑ligament injury and that he has started a rehabilitation programme managed by the club’s medical and performance staff.
- Ugarte suffered the injury during Uruguay’s World Cup group‑stage defeat to Spain on June 27 when he was stretchered off after twisting his knee in the build‑up to Spain’s winner.
- Medical reporting places Ugarte’s recovery broadly in a six‑ to twelve‑month window with many outlets citing nine to twelve months, meaning he is unlikely to be available for most of the next season.
- Any planned summer sale has been shelved because of the injury, and United have already signed Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos while continuing to pursue a further central midfielder to cover Ugarte’s absence.
- Ugarte joined United from Paris Saint‑Germain in 2024 for about £50m and now faces a long recovery that will be carefully managed by the club and that will shape Manchester United’s squad decisions and finances this season.