Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
George Smith

Manchester United told Erik ten Hag made 'very stupid mistake' with Man City team selection

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Netherlands midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart believes Erik ten Hag's decision not to include Casemiro in his starting line-up for Manchester United's 6-3 derby day defeat to Manchester City on Sunday was "very stupid."

Casemiro signed for an initial £60million fee from Spanish giants Real Madrid in August, but is still waiting for his first Premier League start and was named on the bench for the fourth game running at the Etihad Stadium. Ten Hag opted to continue with Scott McTominay in the defensive midfield position, such is the form that the Scot has been in recently.

Despite McTominay's encouraging performances in recent weeks, there was a feeling that Casemiro would be awarded his first league start for United for the short trip across town, given City's quality in midfield and attack. However, Ten Hag chose to stick with McTominay, deploying him in midfield alongside Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes.

READ MORE: United player ratings vs City as key duo poor

United, particularly in the first half, were overrun by City, and constantly caught short in midfield. It only made the argument for Casemiro to have started grow stronger.

And for former Netherlands international Van der Vaart, Ten Hag's decision to leave out Casemiro was a mistake, insisting it resulted in him causing United a problem that could have been avoided.

"Ten Hag should have started playing Casemiro straight away," said Van der Vaart. "McTominay starts performing and Man United start winning and then of course he can't put McTominay out of the team anymore.

"I find this very stupid from him because you are creating your own problem."

Casemiro has started just once since arriving at United — the 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad in the Europa League last month. He could be in line for a return to the starting line-up when United face Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus on Thursday night, also in the Europa League.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.