He played 32 league matches in his first full season. In late January 2010, as he had lost his defensive midfielder position to youth graduate Bruno, Eguren was loaned to S.S. Lazio. However, the move was cancelled days later, after the player did not pass his medical. Anxious for playing time in order to secure a spot on the national squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Eguren signed with reigning Swedish champions AIK Fotboll on 19 February 2010. According to their director of football Björn Wesström, the agreement was technically not a loan deal as the player had no contractual obligations with Villareal until 1 July 2010 – however, he was due to return to Spain since he still had 12 months left of his contract. In early March, it was decided by the club to put the player under police protection, after he was harassed while training by fans of former side Hammarby, a fierce rival to AIK; he usually operated as a defensive midfielder previously, but manager Mikael Stahre preferred using him in an attacking midfielder or deep-lying forward role. In late July 2010, Eguren returned to Spain but not to Villarreal, signing a three-year contract with fellow league team Sporting de Gijón. He contributed with 19 games and two goals in his second year, but the Asturians suffered relegation. In July 2013, Eguren signed a one-and-a-half year deal with Brazil's Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras. He confessed that his changing of club happened because he did not have enough playing time at his previous team Club Libertad, where he played second-fiddle to Pablo Guiñazú. Eguren made his debut for Uruguay during the 2001 Copa América, entering the pitch in the 63rd minute of a 1–0 win against Bolivia, and added a further two appearances in the competition. On 28 May 2008, after a five-year absence, he scored his first goal for the "Charrúas", netting in a 2–2 friendly with Norway in Oslo. Egurén was also selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, playing once for the semi-finalists (three minutes in the group stage 0–0 draw against France). Always as a substitute, he was then used regularly in the 2011 Copa América as nation won its 15th continental tournament. During most of his career in Europe, Eguren did not count as a foreign player, due to the fact he was married to a Swedish woman.