Erik ten Hag has defended his decision to bench Casemiro for the Manchester derby and insisted that the Brazilian will have an "important role" to play for Manchester United this season.
Ten Hag quickly made efforts to try and bolster his midfield options after landing the top job at Old Trafford. And although the club's protracted pursuit of Frenkie de Jong failed to bear fruit, United managed to regroup and acquire Casemiro, one of Europe's most accomplished defensive midfielders, from Real Madrid in a deal that could eventually reach £70million.
Casemiro has won multiple Champions League titles and was a key figure in Carlo Ancelotti's team last term, but the Brazilian enforcer has been consigned to a watching brief in the Premier League since arriving at the club, with all four of his league appearances coming from the bench.
Scott McTominay has impressed alongside Christian Eriksen in recent weeks, with the former Tottenham and Brentford star flourishing in a deeper role. And the duo retained their places for the Manchester derby, which United lost 6-3.
There had been an expectation that Casemiro would be brought into the side in a bid to try and stifle Manchester City's star-studded team, however, the 30-year-old was introduced as a second-half substitute with the game already effectively over.
Speaking ahead of Manchester United's Europa League clash with Omonia, Ten Hag insisted that McTominay has kept his shirt in recent weeks based on merit, but hinted that Casemiro is set to feature more prominently in the coming weeks.
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Ten Hag said: "We will play tomorrow our best team, we have to construct a team because we want a competitive culture. It had nothing to do with Casemiro, it had all to do with Scott. When he wasn't in the team at Brentford, we lost. Casemiro will have an important role, we know his background, the titles he's won, you see every day in training."
Reports this week have suggested that Casemiro is set to be handed his first Premier League start in Sunday's match against Everton in the wake of United's crushing derby defeat.
The decision to integrate Casemiro into life at Old Trafford slowly has been heavily criticised by former United defender Rio Ferdinand, who urged Ten Hag to hand the midfielder a more prominent role.
Speaking on his Vibe with FIVE YouTube show, Ferdinand said: "He's been getting chicken feed. He was the Player of the Match in the Champions League final a couple of months ago and that was the fifth Champions League he's won. In that Real Madrid team, he was the anchor. He's been given scraps. Put the man in from the start and say, 'Bang, you're playing'. You can't judge him off chicken feed."
