Marcelo Bielsa and Uruguay media might have just told Erik ten Hag how to

Summer signing Manuel Ugarte could be a surprise option to fill in in defence should the injury problem at Manchester United worsen before the return of the Premier League.

Under pressure Erik ten Hag will be without defenders Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia and Leny Yoro when they take on Brentford next weekend. Maguire is set to be out for a few weeks after leaving the pitch in the first half against Aston Villa through injury.

There could also be a shortage of options at left-back for United for the game with Noussair Mazraoui set to miss a few weeks after experiencing palpitations. His condition is not an emergency and he is expected to make a full recovery.

It comes as Luke Shaw is also a doubt with the full-back making his way back from injury. If he is not quite ready, then Ten Hag may be forced into a reshuffle.

Both Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof have previously been used in the full-back positions. That however could leave Ten Hag short on centre-back options.

One potential solution could have been showcased by Uruguary in the early hours of Saturday morning. Manager Marcelo Bielsa opted to play Ugarte as the central option in a back three for the 1-0 World Cup qualifier defeat against Peru.

While it’s not the midfielder’s preferred position, he was named as Uruguay’s ‘best player’ on the night by El Observador, who awarded the player a rating of eight out of 10. “Uruguay’s best player, not only for the way he defended, for how he treated the ball, but for his attitude throughout the game,” their verdict read.

“He played as a free agent in the back three. He imposed his style of play, going out with the ball at his feet.”

There however was a slightly harsher rating from fellow Uruguay outlet El Pais, who only awarded Ugarte a score of four out of 10. “Although he relied heavily on a play in which he gave a dangerous pass inside the area after recovering the ball, he won the individual duels in an unusual position,” they wrote.

“A lot of sacrifice. Sometimes he took too many risks and that played a bad trick on him in the second half.”

Peru’s goal came in the 88th minute via Miguel Araujo as Uruguay fell to defeat. Despite the slightly mixed reviews, Ugarte and his fellow defenders earned praise from manager Bielsa.

“[The defence] was the best part of the team,” the former Leeds United boss said in his post-match press conference. “(Guilhermo) Varela played well, Ugarte had hierarchy and Santi Bueno made no mistakes.

“In general terms, I thought it was the part that exceeded the demands of the match.”

During an injury crisis in defence last season, Ten Hag was forced to turn to Casemiro to play at centre-back. The fact that he could now have another option, who has played the position at international level will be a boost to the United manager should he ever have to turn to a similar solution again.

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