‘It’s very bad’ Ten Hag provides latest injury updates for Man Utd players after defeating Southampton
After United defeated Southampton, Erik ten Hag was overjoyed with Matthijs de Ligt. The defender scored in United’s 3-0 victory on the south coast on Saturday, despite facing a challenging international break during which he was harshly criticized for making errors for the Netherlands.
Diogo Dalot’s foul on Tyler Dibling gave Saints the opportunity to take the lead from the penalty spot.
Saints had dominated the majority of the first half of the match. However, from a recycled corner, De Ligt headed home the first goal after Andre Onana had parried a weak attempt from Cameron Archer.
Alejandro Garnacho scored the game’s final goal late on after Jack Stephens was sent off for the hosts, and Marcus Rashford added another just before halftime.
Ten Hag stated to BBC Sport regarding De Ligt, “I’m not surprised. He is not fit or moving at full pace right now. He needs the games to reach that level.
“We are seeing glimpses now, but he will do even better when he gets there. We are pleased with him, especially with his performance today.”
Towards the conclusion of the game, De Ligt and his central defense partner Lisandro Martinez were pushed off, which raised concerns.
The United manager continued, “We had internationals early in the season; some are short in the preseason, some come from intercontinental flights, and then you can struggle when you have a 12:30 kickoff.
“Hopefully nothing major, but we still need to evaluate today and tomorrow.”
Casemiro’s future at Manchester United has been cast into doubt after a disappointing start to the season.
When Manchester United signed Casemiro for £70m in 2022 it seemed like a risk worth taking. The Red Devils were in need of a defensive midfielder and the Brazilian was the best in the business.
Casemiro enjoyed a superb debut season but the drop in his performance levels over the last two seasons has been alarming and at 32 years old it doesn’t look as though they will pick back up again.
United wanted to sell Casemiro this summer and there was interest from the Saudi Pro League, but a deal never came to fruition. His performances towards the end of last season were getting worse and worse and, unfortunately, that has carried over into 2024/25.
Against Liverpool, Casemiro had his worst-ever game in a United shirt – perhaps the worst in his career. He was hooked off at half-time and lost his place in the starting lineup against Southampton.
Gary Neville compared Casemiro’s performance to his final display in a United shirt against West Brom, and he pointed out a “crazy” moment that sealed his fate.
Casemiro of Manchester United looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Fulham FC at Old Trafford on August 16, 202…
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Paul Scholes advice to Casemiro
Casemiro has become a real problem for United this season. He is a “big character” in the dressing room and is the club’s top earner, yet no supporter wants him near the starting lineup.
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has now given his verdict on Casemiro, and there is no one who knows the position better.
In an interview with Manchester Evening News, Scholes said: “There’s no doubt Casemiro is a brilliant player for what he’s done, but I just think when you get into your early 30s, you almost have to go into survival mode and start to look after yourself.
“I don’t think he does that. He runs too much, if anything. If he just stayed and played his position, I think he’d be alright. I think about when I got into my 30s and I thought I have to survive here.
“I’ll play in my position, I’ll stay here and not go forward that much, I’ll defend when I can, but when I played we had brilliant forward players so I didn’t really have to get involved with that, I could just stay back and relax, whereas he probably feels his forward players aren’t good.
“It seems like he’s got to help them out and I think that’s taking away from his own game and what he’s good at, which is just sitting there. He’s not asking me for advice, but if I could advise him, I’d say stay in your position, let everybody else around the pitch do the running.”
Scholes sums up his advice to Casemiro in four words: “Stay in your position”. The gaping holes in United’s midfield have been a huge issue for months now and Casemiro has certainly not helped.
What next for Casemiro?
It is difficult to picture Casemiro earning his starting spot back. Especially after Manuel Ugarte’s perfect debut against Southampton.
Kobbie Mainoo and Ugarte look set to become the first-choice midfield duo, and even beyond that duo, Christian Eriksen climbed up the pecking order with an impressive return against the Saints and Mason Mount will be back in contention when he returns from injury.
After failing to get a deal over the line for Casemiro in the summer, the club must try to offload him again in January. United cannot afford to continue paying such huge wages for a player who has dropped out of the starting lineup.
Erik ten Hag needs an energetic and lively midfield pairing for his system to work, and unfortunately for Casemiro he no longer fits the bill.
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