Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has provided an update on one of his big money signings, stating he may not be in the squad for weeks or even months.
The Red Devils are going into the international break in poor form, as they have just endured their second defeat in the first three games of the Premier League season. It hasn’t been the start that ten Hag would have dreamt of at the beginning of the campaign, as pressure is already starting to mount on the manager after poor individual mistakes cost his side a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool.
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United were very much brushed aside by the better team on Sunday, as the team and the tactics chosen were not good enough to match their arch rivals. However, it's fair to say the game could have looked very different without some costly individual errors. There weren’t many, if any, United players who could walk off that pitch and feel they played well enough to have their heads held high, but Brazil midfielder Casemiro was particularly poor.
The Real Madrid legend, who won everything there is to win in Spain, looked unfit and looked lost at sea during his 45 minutes before he was hooked at half time for young midfielder Toby Collyer.
The midfielder had a pass accuracy of 70% in the 45 minutes he played, with two of his possession losses leading directly to goals scored by Liverpool. Furthermore, the Brazilian won just two of his five ground duels, but it is the possession lost statistic that is alarming, as he lost the ball 14 times in the first half, was dribbled past twice, and obviously, made two errors that led to goals. He finished the game with a Sofascore rating of 5.1.
Casemiro
Ryan Gravenberch
Minutes played
45
90
Touches
45
61
Accurate passes
26/27 (70%)
37/44 (84%)
Ground duels (won)
5 (2)
9 (6)
Aerial duels (won)
1 (1)
1 (1)
Possession lost
14
11
Clearances
1
1
Total tackles
1
2
Dribbled past
2
0
Errors leading to goal
2
0
Stats as per Sofascore.com
Former Man United captain Gary Neville gave his response during Sky Sports' coverage: “I don’t think he would have brought him off for the two mistakes. I think it was what happened after that and the reaction of the crowd. I feel for him.”
After the game, ten Hag revealed that a Manchester United player might not be in the squad for a few months, but surprisingly it wasn’t about Casemiro.
Man United signing may not be fit for months
After the game against Liverpool, ten Hag revealed that new summer signing Manuel Ugarte may not be in the squad for months, as he hasn’t played this season and needs to build up his fitness after his initial £42m transfer from PSG.
Ten Hag said, via Man United Zone: “It’s not like I’m Harry Potter. If you see Ugarte, he hasn’t played in the season so far. He needs to build his fitness. It will take weeks, maybe months.”
This news will come as another blow to Man United fans, as after the display against Liverpool, they will be keen to see Casemiro replaced and their new signing in Ugarte brought into the team straight away.
The one positive that United may have is that the midfielder will join up with his national team in Uruguay, and if he features for them, he could return to Manchester in better shape for the next phase of the season.