Ruben Amorim takes a big gamble when MU plays Liverpool

Ugarte joined the first team at Carrington yesterday, but Casemiro was absent.

The Brazilian veteran has just flown to Korea and then Japan for international duty so he has an extra day off to recover.

man united amorim ten hag ugarte.jpg — Ugarte could be in the starting lineup against Liverpool - Photo: MUFC

Ugarte was not named in Uruguay's experimental squad because coach Bielsa wanted to give new players a chance in the friendly matches against the Dominican Republic and Uzbekistan.

So, Ugarte is physically fit, in contrast to Casemiro who has to travel constantly by plane.

Ruben Amorim prefers to use the Brazilian star, but in the current situation, he must put his faith in the student he worked with when he was at Sporting Lisbon.

Ugarte is likely to take on the role of holding midfielder, starting against Liverpool, although since the beginning of the season he has often been a substitute.

Manuel Ugarte has started three games this season against Brentford, Man City and Grimsby Town, all of which have been disappointing with below-par performances.

Captain Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha and Amad Diallo also did not train yesterday, but they have two more sessions to prove they are fit to play at Anfield.

Mazraoui's ability to play is still uncertain, because he is in the process of recovering from injury along with two other factors in the Red Devils' defense, Ayden Heaven and Lisandro Martinez.

Match schedule
Round 8
October 18, 2025 18:30:00	Nottingham Forest - Chelsea
October 18, 2025 21:00:00	Sunderland - Wolves
October 18, 2025 21:00:00	Brighton - Newcastle
October 18, 2025 21:00:00	Burnley - Leeds
October 18, 2025 21:00:00	Crystal Palace - Bournemouth
October 18, 2025 21:00:00	Manchester City - Everton
October 18, 2025 11:30:00 PM	Fulham - Arsenal
October 19, 2025 20:00:00	Tottenham - Aston Villa
October 19, 2025 10:30:00 PM	Liverpool - Manchester United
October 21, 2025 02:00:00	West Ham - Brentford