Erik ten Hag risks a rift developing with Casemiro who feels he has been unfairly treated

Manchester United’s form at the start of the new campaign has already set alarm bells ringing within the corridors of power at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have lost three out of four games thus far with Casemiro having to shoulder most of the blame, especially for the 0-3 loss against Liverpool.

The Brazilian was at fault for two of the three goals conceded on the day and did not even emerge for the second half with manager Erik ten Hag turning to Toby Collyer.

The Brazilian was a revelation in his debut campaign but was a major disappointment last term and that trend seems to have continued in the new season.

Casemiro’s difficult start

Most pundits have come down heavily on the former Real Madrid superstar while former club legends have argued that a positional change may benefit the player.

While Ten Hag has tried to play down expectations on new signing Manuel Ugarte, the clamour to drop the 32-year-old in favour of the former PSG man has gained ground with Ugarte impressing on international duty.

As reported by Givemesport, the 32-year-old feels he has been unfairly singled out for criticism for the club’s form and that a change in the engine room for the Saints game could create friction behind the scenes.

“Manchester United insiders have informed GMS sources that Casemiro feels he has been made a scapegoat after being consigned to back-to-back losses during the early stages of the campaign, resulting in him being unhappy ahead of travelling to Southampton as domestic action returns this weekend.

“Ten Hag is at risk of causing problems behind the scenes if he drops the defensive midfielder to the bench and starts Ugarte as Manchester United seek three points at Southampton.

Casemiro unhappy

“This is due to be Casemiro’s final season on Manchester United’s books, GMS sources have learned, but ten Hag still needs to ensure that he keeps him onside instead of creating a rift as the Dutch tactician is going to need him as an option due to a lack of depth at the heart of the midfield.”

INEOS wanted to move the Brazilian on in the summer but the defensive midfielder ended up reconciling with the manager and eventually ended up staying as Saudi clubs stayed away.

With the lack of depth in midfield, Ten Hag can ill-afford another fallout like the one witnessed before the FA Cup final last season.

The former Ajax coach has been given four games to spark a turnaround in form or else he faces the risk of receiving the sack. He will need his engine room to function at its peak if the club has to kickstart their campaign.

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