"I don’t care how experienced he is" - Rio Ferdinand slams Erik ten Hag for playing Manchester United superstar out of position
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has blasted Erik ten Hag for playing Casemiro out of position as a centre-back for the fourth game in a row. The Brazilian struggled once again, with his error leading the Red Devils to lose 1-0 to Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday, May 12.
Ten Hag opted to deploy Casemiro at the heart of Manchester United's defense alongside Jonny Evans due to their injury crisis at the back. Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane, and Victor Lindelof missed the clash against the Gunners.
The former Real Madrid superstar failed to get up the pitch in time to join his teammates to form an effective defensive high line. Instead, he kept Kai Havertz onside in the 20th minute, allowing the German to drill a low cross into Leandro Trossard who fired home to give Arsenal the win.
Ferdinand wasn't impressed by Ten Hag's decision to play Casemiro at centre-back, saying (via METRO):
"When is he (Erik ten Hag) going to take Casemiro out of the back line? Why can’t Sofyan Amrabat play there? Or Scott McTominay? I just don’t think it’s fair.
"If you see a few mistakes from someone who is playing there, who has never played there before, and you see the mistakes early, you should go, ‘You know what, I’m not going to do this to you’ – I don’t care how experienced he is."
He added:
"Come on, move him out of there and get back to the position he knows. Play Aaron Wan-Bissaka there. Then you could have Amrabat at right-back. That’s the most natural thing for me. Wan-Bissaka at centre-back and Amrabat at right-back. He was happy to play him at left-back for a few games.
"We looked like an uncoached team. At the creative end of the pitch, we were lacking massively. Decision-making and quality was not there."
Casemiro has struggled this season due to a lack of mobility in midfield, injuries, as well as a noticeable drop in form from last season. He has scored five goals and provided three assists in 30 appearances across all competitions.
"What’s the point in being here?” - Paul Merson believes Manchester United star should be fuming after being snubbed for PL clash against Arsenal
Paul Merson has questioned Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag's decision to not start Willy Kambwala over Casemiro at centre-back following their 1-0 loss to the Gunners on Sunday.
Kambwala broke into the starting XI earlier this season, making eight league appearances to date (three starts). However, he suffered an injury in training, causing him to miss Manchester United's last three games.
The 19-year-old centre-back made his return to Manchester United's matchday squad against Arsenal but was surprisingly named on the bench despite Casemiro's struggles at the back.
Merson noticed this and said (via United in Focus):
“I wanted to play football, I wasn’t gonna listen someone else [medics] tell me that I can’t play, I’m gonna play. And this is the problem. 'If I’m not playing today and I’m the centre-half, Willy Kambwala, if I can’t, if I’m sub and I’m playing behind Jonny Evans and Casemiro, what’s the point in being here?'”
Kambwala did feature in the final for 15 minutes against the Gunners and looked lively, winning two duels, and making a solitary tackle.