94% passing, 6 recoveries, 7 duels won: £43m star was United's leading performer vs Brentford, silenced critics - opinion

Manchester United suffered their 16th defeat of the Premier League campaign following a 4-3 loss to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The Red Devils went into the game as slight underdogs, considering there were eight changes made from the midweek European win over Athletic Bilbao.

Despite this, they performed well. The Bees were cruising at 4-1 at one point, but United managed to fight back for a 4-3 defeat in the end.

Manuel Ugarte had a rough outing against Athletic in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final.

He could not cope with the intense pressing of the La Liga outfit, and Casemiro had to help him out. The Brazilian had a two-man job early on.

Ugarte grew into the game after Athletic went down to 10 men. He provided a couple of assists despite starting in a nervous fashion at San Mames.

Against the Bees, he was much better from the off. The Uruguayan finished the game with a passing accuracy of 94 percent, winning seven duels.

The 24-year-old also completed 100 percent of his long balls (3/3). He made six recoveries and three tackles, and provided a late assist for Amad Diallo’s goal.

Barring a needless booking, Ugarte had a good outing for the Red Devils. The £43 million-rated star silenced his critics in a solid fashion on the road.

The midfielder now needs to replicate the showing when Athletic arrive at Old Trafford for the second leg of the Europa League semi-final on Thursday evening.

Ugarte knows what to expect from the Basque outfit this time around. He needs to be proactive with his decision-making to avoid losing possession.

The Red Devils have a comfortable 3-0 lead and need to seize the momentum from the off to nullify any possibility of a comeback from Ernesto Valverde’s side.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Fotmob.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .