Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is missing the key influence of a former Red Devils player who was brought to Old Trafford under Jose Mourinho.
That is according to Match of the Day pundit Ashley Williams, who hit out at United fans over their desire to see one of Mourinho’s former signings leave Old Trafford.
Ten Hag has faced mounting pressure this season at United over his side’s form and mixed set of results, with the Dutchman confronted with an uphill task at the club.
The former Ajax boss watched on as his side were outclassed and outplayed by Newcastle on Saturday in a 1-0 Premier League defeat at St James’ Park.
United are seventh in the Premier League table and are five points adrift from the top four, with Ten Hag’s men also on the brink of a Champions League exit.
Ten Hag has had to deal with several different dilemmas this season, including his side’s midfield imbalance and public rift with United outcast Jadon Sancho.
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Williams on ‘missed’ ex-United star that Ten Hag sold
Former United duo Owen Hargreaves and Paul Scholes both agreed on the midfield issues that have emerged in Ten Hag’s first team after the draw against Galatasaray.
Casemiro has seen his form take a plunge in the current campaign and struggled to exert the same midfield influence as he did during his stellar debut season at United.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE, Williams claimed United needed a “Robin to the Batman” when it comes to Casemiro and believes that Fred is now “missed.”
“But I did see a bit of the, yous lot like getting on about Thomas Partey. Could the same not be said about Casemiro? ‘Cause he ain’t looked the same,” he said on the Heads Gone Podcast.
“Well, I’ve said this before and my opinion on the matter is as good as he [Casemiro] is or was or whatever, and [I’m] not taking it away from him, sometimes you need a Robin to the Batman.
“And he has gone, and you lot [United fans] battered him forever […], but he was like the butt of a lot of jokes in Fred.
“I just think that Fred’s missed.”
Ten Hag wanted United to move on from Fred
Ten Hag made it clear that he wouldn’t take a page out of the playbook of Mourinho or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer by relying on the infamous ‘McFred’ partnership in midfield.
Fred, who was signed in a £47m deal from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2018, was allowed to leave Old Trafford in the summer after he was deemed surplus to requirements.
The 30-year-old Brazilian midfielder completed his move to Super Lig side Fenerbahce, with Fred’s departure leaving a void that Ten Hag needed to fill.
Fred was often seen as a valuable midfield option for United managers, both past and present, despite his inconsistency and how fans perceived his role at the club.
The Brazil international, who played alongside Casemiro for both club and country, made 213 appearances for United and scored 14 times and registered 19 assists.
Fred could have been a reliable option for Ten Hag, but Kobbie Mainoo has shown moments of brilliance and could be the long-term solution the United boss needs.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/Lu1enXP