Erik ten Hag is sinking at Manchester United but any replacement is set up to fail
Manchester United's Casemiro reacts following the Premier League match at Selhurst Park. Photo: PA Wire
It is not even two years since Casemiro, at his zenith perhaps the finest defensive midfielder in the world, delivered a masterclass to suffocate Liverpool and win his fifth Champions League title with Real Madrid. Today, consumed by the vortex at Manchester United, he has morphed into a faintly pitiful figure, with his casual loss of possession en route to Crystal Palace’s fourth goal this week suggestive of a player stripped of any heart or fight.
An isolated case? Far from it. Just 11 months ago, Andre Onana was the toast of Inter Milan for his role in steering them to a sixth European Cup final in their history. Now he, too, looks worn down by the insidious United malaise, a once-confident goalkeeper beaten twice at his near post during the Selhurst Park capitulation.
