Has Casemiro's poor start spelled trouble for Manchester United? Erik ten Hag urged to rethink midfield, claims Jamie Carragher

Jamie Carragher suggests that Casemiro has had a disappointing start to the season for Manchester United, and Erik ten Hag should consider reevaluating his midfield options. During the broadcast of Monday Night Football, Carragher pointed out the numerous instances in which Casemiro was successfully dribbled past and emphasized that the team will need to make adjustments in order to achieve their desired results.

Carragher pointed out that there are significant issues within United's midfield. He believes that the current midfield configuration is not suitable and identifies several flaws in their approach. United narrowly secured a win against Wolves, but their luck ran out as they suffered a 2-0 defeat against Tottenham.

Mason Mount played in a slightly deeper position compared to his performance on Monday night. It seemed like he was trying to provide support to Casemiro. However, I am not a fan of the manager's set-up because he employs a man-marking system. To illustrate this, Carragher showed a clip in which Mount was drawn out to the left, Bruno Fernandes was positioned high up on the right, and Casemiro was left isolated. This caused the Manchester United midfield to become disjointed and lacking cohesion due to the man-to-man marking approach.

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Manchester United's midfield three were stretched at Spurs

That is proving a particular problem for a laboured Casemiro.

This player in the midfield, as we witnessed on both Monday and Saturday nights, is consistently left vulnerable in the center of the field without any support, and it's evident that he is struggling. James Maddison cleverly evades him and effortlessly accesses Manchester United's defensive line.

More instances where Casemiro displayed lackluster effort in attempting tackles only emphasized Carragher's point. "While we can discuss the tactics and formation, this particular situation revolves around Casemiro. Instead of maintaining his position, he chooses to charge forward. As a result, he is effortlessly bypassed."

"Maddison is a technically good player but he is not quick and that is far too easy. Again, right through the heart of Manchester United's midfield.

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Casemiro has endured a poor start to the season for Manchester United, says Jamie Carragher

"We address the issue of him being left vulnerable, which is unacceptable regardless of the circumstances. Especially considering his exceptional skill and experience.

"It is simply not favorable when a player resorts to diving and falling over."

He has had a remarkably bad start. His performance going forward and the composition of the Manchester United midfield would greatly concern me.

Casemiro has already been successfully dribbled past six times this season, which is a poor record compared to players like Rodri (one) and Yves Bissouma from Tottenham (two).

That Mount (seven) and Fernandes (four) are also seeing runners go past them suggests United have a problem.

"Notice the statistics regarding Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount, and how easily Wolves and Tottenham have been able to penetrate Manchester United's midfield," noted Carragher.

"I have doubts about the ability of this midfield to continue playing together if Manchester United hopes to achieve their desired season."

Watch Gary Neville's reaction to Jamie Carragher's statements about Manchester United's midfield during the Crystal Palace vs Arsenal match, currently airing live on We' Monday Night Football.

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