what happened to ugarte

Manuel Ugarte appears to have picked up an injury recently and was forced off during Uruguay’s match against Spain at the 2026 World Cup, with reports describing it as an apparent left knee issue. There’s also a separate update that he has been ruled out of a Sunderland trip because of a back problem in training.

What happened

• In the Spain match, Ugarte went down while trying to win back possession and had to be substituted before halftime.

• The injury was described as an apparent left knee problem, though no full medical diagnosis was included in the report.

• A newer club update says he suffered a back issue in training and missed the Sunderland fixture.

Other recent context

• He has also been in the news for an uneven spell at Manchester United, with reports saying he has struggled to make a consistent impact and may even be on the move.

• Earlier in the year, he was involved in a bizarre England match incident where he seemed to receive two yellow cards but was not sent off after the booking mix-up was clarified.

Bottom line

The most current answer is that Ugarte is dealing with fitness problems, especially the recent back issue, and he previously suffered a knee knock in Uruguay’s game against Spain.

Would you like the latest Manchester United angle, or the Uruguay injury update only?