Casemiro started his second game in a Manchester United shirt on Thursday night, as his side scraped past Omonia Nicosia 3-2. The Real Madrid legend would probably have expected to play more football by now after his lucrative summer switch from the Bernabeu to Old Trafford. After all, United have been without a truly top class defensive midfielder for years. However, the form of Scott McTominay has kept the five-time Champions League winner on the fringes of Erik ten Hag’s plans. But is that the right call?
Ten Hag seems to be a manager who picks his team based primarily on form. Tyrell Malacia has usurped Luke Shaw as the Red Devils’ starting left back because he has generally played better than the England international. Cristiano Ronaldo has found his starts limited to mostly Europa League outings because he does not look close to the force he once was. McTominay has shown vast improvements this season and Ten Hag has gone on record saying that is the reason for his continued inclusion.
READ MORE:
But the Dutchman is known as a system manager first and foremost. Using a 4-2-3-1 structure that calls for an out-and-out holding player to free up the attack-minded Christian Eriksen surely means McTominay’s long-term role is not sustainable? He is useful as a box-to-box player who is physical and can break the lines. But part of United’s issue in recent seasons has been the fact neither he nor regular partner Fred are disciplined enough to provide a defensive screen.
Casemiro has forged a career as that sort of out-and-out defensive midfielder. He has been the bedrock upon which Madrid have gone on to break Champions League records. He is months removed from playing in the final of that competition, helping his team to a 1-0 win over Liverpool. With a couple of exceptions, Casemiro really is the go-to guy if you want a quality defensive midfielder.
Considering he was signed at great expense at the age of 30, it felt like Casemiro was a signing for here and now. A ready-made solution to one of the club’s greatest problems. Yet the Brazil international has only started two Europa League games for the club. His Premier League involvement has been limited to cameos from the bench. Even against champions Manchester City, whose free-firing attack make defensive stability a necessity, McTominay was preferred. It seemed a baffling choice irrespective of the Scotland international’s form.
Form appears to be the crux of Ten Hag’s reasoning. After all, Casemiro’s only previous start before Thursday was in the 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad at Old Trafford. The midfielder also struggled to make a case against Nicosia, who managed to run United close and score two goals in Cyprus.
There is room for both players in the manager’s thinking of course. McTominay appears to be the sensible choice in games where the opposition will give United freedom. He is physical enough to break up play against weaker teams and has enough quality to break the lines and pose an attacking threat. But against the biggest and best clubs, playing McTominay as the sole defensive midfielder alongside the attacking pair of Fernandes and Eriksen is problematic. This is where Casemiro comes in.
Casemiro’s experience, physical defending and brilliant timing are indispensable in the toughest games. He is used to keeping the door locked for elite midfielders, like Luka Modric and Toni Kroos at Real. If United are under the cosh, you could even imagine him dovetailing with Fred or McTominay with United deploying just one attacking midfielder. In short, Casemiro offers a wealth of options.
It remains to be seen how often Ten Hag will exercise these options. Right now he seems wedded to the idea of McTominay as his starting Premier League holding midfielder. But he would do well to remember that the 25-year-old has had a number of chances in that role under previous managers and it has never quite stuck. There are a lot of things McTominay does really well, but there are very few players who perform a defensive midfield role better than Casemiro.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
