Man United are due to receive millions in compensation after Manuel Ugarte suffered a devastating injury while playing for Uruguay at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The midfielder had to be stretchered off the pitch in the 45th minute of Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Spain, which eliminated La Celeste from the tournament.
Ugarte went down in agony after he overextended his left knee while trying to win possession of the ball in the lead-up to Spain’s goal. He was replaced by Nicolas de la Cruz.
The Red Devils are still waiting to discover the full extent of the injury, but it is possible Ugarte tore his anterior cruciate ligament, which could keep him sidelined for nine to twelve months.
Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte was taken off on a stretcher during the first half of Uruguay’s World Cup game against Spain pic.twitter.com/OIXmWAaeX2
Man United due multi-million payout following Ugarte injury
If Ugarte is kept out of action for an extended period of time, then Man United will be due millions in compensation from FIFA.
Under the FIFA Club Compensation Programme, clubs are compensated when footballers sustain an injury while on international duty, if the player is unavailable to play for more than 28 consecutive days.
The programme compensates clubs up to a maximum of £6,470,625 (€7.5m) per player per accident and is payable for a maximum of one year. The compensation is based solely on the fixed salary the player receives from his football.
The maximum daily compensation is limited to €20,548 per accident, which works out at £17,727.79 per day, or £124,094.53 per week, at current conversion rates.
Ugarte is reportedly earning £120,000 per week, meaning Man United would be due £6,452,915.56 in compensation from FIFA if he misses an entire year of football.
Whatever sum United do end up receiving from FIFA will only be a mere consolation for the Premier League side, who were reportedly hoping to sell Ugarte in the summer transfer window. They were looking to sign at least one more midfielder after agreeing a £35 million deal with Atalanta for Èderson Silva.
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