Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag gives honest verdict on Casemiro display in Arsenal loss

With their second consecutive Premier League loss, Manchester United increased the pressure on Erik ten Hag.

Erik ten Hag admitted Casemiro should not have been so deep for Arsenal’s winner at Old Trafford (Image: beIN SPORTS / Getty)

Despite Casemiro’s unfortunate involvement in Leandro Trossard’s winning goal against Arsenal, Erik ten Hag is adamant that the Manchester United player played well against Arsenal. A disastrous individual moment completed a tumultuous week for the Brazilian, who was also subjected to harsh criticism after last Monday’s crushing defeat at Crystal Palace.

The request for Casemiro, a defensive midfielder by trade, to cover at center back was the unifying theme between the two games. Ten Hag chose Jonny Evans as the backup central defender due to a total lack of options; academy product Willy Kambwala was then brought on from the bench.

Within twenty minutes of facing the Gunners, Casemiro’s situation deteriorated. With little real effort to shore up United’s defensive line, he padded back up the pitch after dropping deep to give Andre Onana a passing option.

Kai Havertz took advantage of the situation by hanging back while Casemiro was playing onside. The German then crossed the ball for Trossard to score from close range.

Casemiro’s situation was made worse by the fact that he didn’t appear to realize Trossard was closing in behind him to score what ended up being the game-winning goal for the Gunners, who are vying for the championship.

After the final whistle, Ten Hag told beIN Sports, “Today he was at the right level.” “He’s triumphant. We anticipate that he will bring his hatred of defeat to the team.”

The Dutchman continued, “He shouldn’t be there at that moment; that is obvious and he knows that.” in reference to his positioning for Trossard’s winner. However, he gave a strong performance for the remainder of the game.”

Casemiro’s error against Arsenal came after a terrible performance at Selhurst Park last week, where he was directly responsible for both of Michael Olise’s goals in a 4-0 loss. This has led to speculation that Casemiro may be leaving Old Trafford this summer.

Ten Hag, though, is adamant that he possesses the skills necessary to succeed as a center back. “He is capable of playing out of position,” the United manager continued following the Arsenal match.

“Obviously, he did not have a good night [against Crystal Palace], but everyone had a bad performance overall. It is evident that he is capable of playing in that position.”