Martin Keown maintains that after Crystal Palace’s horror show, change ought to have been implemented and blames Erik ten Hag for Casemiro’s poor performance following his error in Man United’s loss to Arsenal.

The veteran midfielder was again fielded as an emergency defender alongside Jonny Evans at Old Trafford on Sunday, with Ten Hag missing all but one of his senior centre backs, but made a sloppy error in the build-up to Leandro Trossard‘s goal.

After Andre Onana launched a long ball down the pitch, Casemiro failed to race out to play Kai Havertz offside, allowing him to fire in a low cross for Trossard to score.

He also endured a calamitous display in United’s 4-0 defeat by Crystal Palace and Keown insisted this performance should have triggered Ten Hag to make a change.

‘It’s schoolboy stuff and it’s remarkable,’ Keown told the BBC.

 

‘He’s not a specialist central defender and that’s why we look to Ten Hag and we say, OK, what information are you stitching into the players?

‘You’ve had a chance to reflect on the Crystal Palace game. Casemiro, top player, but he’s not a central defender, so change that. And I think the importance is the partnership of your central defenders and Arsenal showed that.

‘If you’ve got strength in that position, then you’ve got a platform to build from.’

Shay Given was taken aback by Casemiro’s sluggish attempts to join United’s high line in the build-up, especially when just 20 minutes had been played.

‘The thing about that goal, if it was the last 10 minutes and he was leggy and he was tired… but it’s 20 minutes into the game,’ Given said. ‘It’s not like he’s tired.

‘He should be sprinting up. It’s really, really basic. Even from a central midfielder, a defensive midfielder, you should squeeze the pitch.’

United legend Wayne Rooney also ripped into the 32-year-old, telling Sky Sports: ‘It’s lazy. He’s lazy. The rest of his teammates have pushed out and they get caught.

‘Whether you’re a midfield player or a centre-back, you have to be ready to push out with the rest of the team. If not, you play everyone onside and you get punished.’

Roy Keane then added: ‘Casemiro cannot play in the Premier League at centre half. Whatever shortcomings you have, you can’t coach pace. There was a bit of laziness as well in terms of getting out that led to the goal.

‘We’re not saying Casemiro can cover 60 or 70 yards, it’s 10 or 15 yards. You’ve got to get up the pitch. Just move your feet. Casemiro as a centre-half will get found out, which he did again today. it was the defining moment of the game.’