Casemiro lays down Manchester United gauntlet as Erik ten Hag faces big transfer decision

Pre-season often acts as an opportunity for players to prove their worth – a fact that won’t be lost on certain members of the Manchester United squad.

After slumping to an eighth-placed Premier League finish last season, Erik ten Hag will likely have been pondering just how many of his current crop posses the ability to get United back competing for the biggest prizes.

The clearout of first-team players has already begun, with the likes of Raphael Varane, Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek and Mason Greenwood all moving on, and further departures are likely between now and the end of the month.

One individual who many claimed to be at the end of his Red Devils career is Casemiro, whose form dipped to alarmingly low levels at the end of last term. Operating as an emergency central defender for a handful of matches, the Brazilian’s lack of pace became brutally exposed and made for painful viewing after his impressive debut campaign at the club.

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Speaking after United’s embarrassing 4-0 loss at Crystal Palace in May, Jamie Carragher said of the midfielder: “I think Casemiro should know tonight that he should only have another three games left at the top level. The next two league games and the cup final, then he should be thinking, I need to go to the MLS or Saudi.

“This has to stop because we are watching one of the greats of the modern time. I always remember the saying ‘leave the football before the football leaves you’. The football has left him. At this top level, he needs to call it a day at this level and move.

“The level of that player, he should not be putting himself through this. He is too good of a player to be putting in a performance like that being laughed at by Crystal Palace. He needs to call it a day.”

Many supporters will have agreed with this sentiment at the time, although is selling the former Real Madrid man the best move for United during the current window? Recent injuries to Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund have shown how quickly the dynamic can change regarding selection choices, ripping up Ten Hag’s probable starting eleven plans for the opening day of the season and emphasizing the importance of having back-up options.

There is no doubting the 32-year-old has plenty to prove on the back of an underwhelming individual season, but there have been promising signs of change could be coming during the current pre-season tour of America. Casemiro scored in the 3-2 win over Real Betis on Wednesday, earning a match rating of eight in the process, issuing a reminder of the threat he poses when venting into the final third of the pitch.

The five-time Champions League winner scored five times in 32 appearances in 2023/24, only three fewer than Marcus Rashford, and was even more prolific in 2022/23 after finding the back of the net seven times.

Casemiro will know all too well from his time at Real Madrid that continued poor performances are not accepted at the highest level, where ruthless changes occur on a frequent basis. Ten Hag may feel he deserves another chance to restore his reputation-it will then be down to him to take it.