Rio Ferdinand has slammed Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag for his treatment of midfielder Casemiro and has urged the Dutchman not to play him in defence.
Casemiro started Sunday’s 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal at centre-back alongside Jonny Evans with the Red Devils in the middle of a defensive injury crisis.
Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane, Viktor Lindelof and Tyrell Malacia all missed the game due to injury.
But Ferdinand is a firm believer that Casemiro is not suited to the position at all and would rather see Aaron Wan-Bissaka or Sofyan Amrabat take his place.
‘When is he (Erik ten Hag) going to take Casemiro out of the back line?’ Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel after his former side lost to Arsenal.
‘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.
‘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.’
United have lost 19 games in all competitions this season – their most since 1977-78 – in what has been a nightmare campaign under Ten Hag.
Their nine defeats at Old Trafford is their joint-most at home in a season while the 82 goals they’ve conceded this term is their most since 1970-71.
Ten Hag is under huge pressure and furiously snapped at a journalist after United’s defeat to Arsenal.
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