Manuel Ugarte looked sharp after coming off the bench for his Manchester United debut and teammate Lisandro Martinez has already got a nickname for the summer signing.

The Red Devils bounced back emphatically from the two losses before the international break by beating Southampton 3-0 on Saturday afternoon.

After a rocky start to the match, Andre Onana’s penalty save in the first half gave the visitors the kick they needed and just two minutes later summer signing Matthijs de Ligt, who was named man of the match, opened the scoring with a well-placed header.

Marcus Rashford then opened his goalscoring account for the season to double Manchester United’s lead before the break.

United looked much more assured in the second half and that only improved when £42m summer signing Manuel Ugarte made his debut from off the bench.

Manuel Ugarte debut vs Southampton

Despite Ten Hag’s warning about Ugarte’s fitness, the 23-year-old was named in United’s matchday squad against Southampton after returning from international duty with Uruguay.

With United leading 2-0 and dominating play, Manuel Ugarte came on to replace Christian Eriksen in the 73rd minute and fans were delighted with his performance.

In just a short cameo, Ugarte won three ground duels and only lost possession once. It’s too early to say, but he looks to be the exact type of player that United have been missing.

United extended their lead in the dying moments through Alejandro Garnacho to cap off what was an impressive – and much-needed – performance.

United are back in action on Tuesday evening when they face Barnsley in the League Cup and Ugarte could be in line to make his full debut.

Lisandro Martinez shares nickname for Manuel Ugarte

Ten Hag revealed that Ugarte had only had two training sessions with his new teammates before his debut against Southampton.

But it appears that he has already earned himself a nickname from his short time at the club.

Following the 3-0 win over Southampton, Ugarte shared a post on Instagram that read: “This journey has started. Thanks to all the fans for the incredible support.”

Lisandro Martinez quickly replied to his new teammate with a two-word message: “El Pulpo”, accompanied by a fire emoji. It translates from Spanish to “The octopus”.

Given Ugarte’s impressive ability to win the ball back from any situation, it is certainly a fitting nickname for United’s new midfield bruiser.

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