Manuel Ugarte shown on crutches

Manuel Ugarte had been looking to make his mark at Manchester United with full attention centred around next season before the World Cup started.

The World Cup brought an end to that aspiration, however, with Ugarte having to be stretchered off the field against Spain following a major injury on the brink of half-time.

Later reports revealed that the Uruguay international had suffered a knee ligament injury with Manchester United publishing a statement that read: “Manchester United can confirm that Manuel Ugarte has suffered a knee ligament injury.

“Assessment of the injury is ongoing to determine the best course of treatment and the rehabilitation timescale.”

Ugarte then underwent surgery, a major step in his recovery from the injury, and is currently starting his rehabilitation program that aims to bring him back to full fitness.

Now, with this starting, Manuel Ugarte has published a new statement on Instagram alongside a video showing him on crutches.

The video, published on the social media platform, showed the Uruguay international on crutches as he tried to move through his house. Alongside the video, Ugarte posted a number of photos documenting the recovery process so far.

The post, published yesterday, was captioned: “Recovery. Rest. Rise.”

With the midfielder now on crutches, and able to move using those crutches, it appears that he is making small steps on his way to recovering.

It remains to be seen when he will return, with no time scale put on the injury. Manchester United, on the other hand, have recruited to fill the position with Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans both coming into the side.

Focus for now, in Ugarte’s case, will remain on recovering from the injury and moving himself closer to returning to action for Manchester United.