Casemiro should maybe have been dropped (Image: Shaun Botterill)
Before falling 3-0 to Liverpool, Manchester United presented their new player, Manuel Ugarte. The midfielder is likely to replace Casemiro when they play Southampton after the international break.
Before the game against Liverpool, Manchester United fans got a sneak peek at what was to come.
They got Manuel Ugarte for £50 million from Paris Saint-Germain. He was introduced to the home fans on the Old Trafford pitch and got a huge cheer. And after 45 minutes of seeing Casmerio work hard and give Liverpool two goals on his own, United, their fans, and manager Erik ten Hag can’t wait for Ugrate’s start.
Simply put, Casemiro was a problem in the first half. He gave up the ball too easily, showing why United should have sold the 32-year-old in the summer. I saw Casemiro give three points to United’s biggest foes, and Ten Hag had enough. He took him off at halftime and put in 20-year-old Toby Collyer in his place.
But Casemiro shouldn’t have been in United’s starting lineup this season, and he wouldn’t have been if they hadn’t waited until the last minute to try to sign Ugarte. Because of this, United missed the deadline to sign Ugarte in time for their match against Liverpool. However, he would not have been ready to play because his last game was in July for Uruguay in the Copa America.
But it was clear that United had to get rid of Casemiro after last season, when his play fell apart and made his great first season with the team seem like a dream. He stayed, though, even though Scott McTominay joined Napoli for £25.7m. This is mostly because that amount of money is considered pure profit for a school player when the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules are followed.
After Casemiro’s terrible game, Ugarte will definitely play in midfield with Kobbie Mainoo for United’s next game, which is a league game away at Southampton on September 14. If he doesn’t get hurt, that is.Even though Casmerio was United’s worst player, he wasn’t the only one who didn’t play up to par. Marcus Rashford, who hasn’t scored since March 17, was again quiet, and Matthijs De Ligt, who was signed in the summer and had a good start but then gave up and was changed.
Ten Hag is already under a lot of pressure because his team has lost two of their three games. He fought hard to keep his job in the summer. If afternoons like this keep happening, his job will be in danger.
