Wayne Rooney has fired a warning to Casemiro following Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday.
Two first-half penalties which were won by Alejandro Garnacho and converted by Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford were enough to secure three points for Erik ten Hag’s side, who remain sixth in the Premier League but are now three points behind Tottenham.
Everton started brightly at Old Trafford and had chances to take the lead, while Casemiro delivered a shaky performance at the heart of United’s midfield.
And Rooney believes United’s current system leaves the Brazil international exposed and with too much ground to cover.
‘I think there was too much space from the back line to the forward players,’ Rooney told TNT Sports.
‘Casemiro has got a lot of work to do to try to hold the middle of the pitch.
‘Against a better team than Everton were today I think they could get problems caused against them.
‘They deserved to win, they’ve got match-winners, I think Rashford’s a match-winner, Bruno always comes up with something and Garnacho as we’ve seen today created two goals.
‘Deserved to win but they can certainly play better than they did today.
Rooney also praised Garnacho’s display against Everton and believes the 19-year-old has been United’s best player this term.
‘I think today Garnacho was the one who made things happen. He was certainly the best player on the pitch,’ Rooney said.
‘I think his work rate off the ball is fantastic, he’s not afraid to put the work in. He is going to make mistakes, he is a young player as well, he is still going to make mistakes, he’s still learning.
‘But what he has got is a driving hunger which any fan wants to see in any player. I’ve been really pleased with him this season, I think he will be a special talent moving forward.
‘I think his numbers, his output, his goals and assists can get better.
‘He’s got the capability to do that so I think over the next few years we’ll see better numbers from him.
‘But he’s still young, still leaning, he’s probably been Manchester United’s best player this season.’
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