October 18th 2024.
Erik ten Hag caused quite a stir among Manchester United fans when he made a comment that was taken out of context. The Dutch coach unintentionally upset star player Casemiro with his words while explaining his decision to bench the midfielder.
Casemiro had a fantastic first season with the club, helping them win the Carabao Cup after a record-breaking £70 million transfer from Real Madrid. However, his performance declined in his second season, which led to him being substituted at halftime in three matches and also being left out of the lineup for the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Despite these issues, ten Hag managed to keep his job after the team's victory at Wembley. However, problems persisted as United struggled to find their footing, currently sitting in 14th place in the Premier League standings. His communication skills were also questioned during turbulent times, with sources close to the club describing him as being "blunt and direct," according to ESPN.
One of the challenges ten Hag faced was language barriers, as he is not a native English speaker. This led to a misunderstanding with Casemiro last season, causing the Brazilian to become upset. "He's a straightforward guy, but he had to learn to soften his approach with the players," a source told ESPN. "Sometimes, it was due to his language skills. He can speak English, but he doesn't have a full grasp of it, including the nuances. For example, he unintentionally angered Casemiro by saying he was dropped for 'football reasons.' Erik meant 'tactical' reasons, but his choice of words ended up offending a player who has won multiple Champions League titles."
Despite starting in the first two games of this season, Casemiro was once again substituted at halftime during the match against Liverpool in September, with young player Toby Collyer taking his place after a disappointing first half. Since then, he has not started a league match, with the club also signing Uruguay international Manuel Ugarte.
It seems that there may be more to the story behind Casemiro's absence from the team, and United fans can only hope that the issues between him and ten Hag can be resolved for the good of the team. Stay tuned for more Manchester United news, exclusives, and analysis by signing up for our newsletter and agreeing to our Privacy Policy, protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
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