Galatasaray boss reveals he told his players to target Manchester United superstar during shock 3-2 UCL win
Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk has revealed that he advised his players to exploit Manchester United star Casemiro's weaknesses in the middle of the park in their UEFA Champions League encounter this week.
The Red Devils suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Turkish side in their group-stage fixture on Wednesday night (4 October). Galatasaray put an impressive performance, overcoming a one-goal deficit twice in the encounter.
Rasmus Hojlund scored a brace in the encounter, while Wilfried Zaha and Muhammed Kerem Akturkoglu equalized shortly after each of the Danish forward's strikes in the first half and the second half respectively.
Mauro Icardi then fired his side home and secured all three points with an 81st-minute goal just three minutes after his failed spot-kick.
Casemiro had a poor performance as he picked up a red card after a poor tackle on Dries Mertens in the box, giving away the aforementioned penalty which Icardi missed.
Galatasaray boss Buruk has now revealed his tactic to put pressure on the Brazilian midfielder. The Turkish manager said after the match (via The Mirror):
"We wanted to put pressure on Casemiro in the midfield with (Lucas) Torreira. Kaan (Ayhan) is a player who plays well defensively and without the ball. We wanted to use both together. I think Kaan performed a very important task. He gave support."
Casemiro has registered seven Premier League appearances for the Red Devils this season, recording one goal. Prior to his display against Galatasaray, the Brazil international did grab a brace in Manchester United's 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich in their Champions League opener this term.
“He played a very good game" - Erik ten Hag heaps praise on Manchester United star
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has lauded Hojlund for his performance against Galatasaray. While the Red Devils are disappointed after a tough loss, the Dutch boss insists that the Danish forward should be happy with his double.
Ten Hag said after the match (per the club's official website):
“He played a very good game and he was a threat all the way through. He scored two great goals, so we are happy with that. Of course, finally now you don't win the game. And also you see Rasmus is very disappointed, but he can be really happy with his goals.”
Manchester United signed Hojlund this summer for £72 million from Atalanta. The Denmark international has been in excellent from in the UEFA Champions League this season, scoring three goals in two matches in Europe.
However, he is yet to hit the ground running in the Premier League, having failed to register a goal contribution in seven league appearances for Manchester United this term.