Erik ten Hag reveals what he told Casemiro after Manchester United signed Manuel Ugarte

Erik ten Hag has revealed what he told Casemiro after Manchester United signed Manuel Ugarte this summer.

Erik ten Hag took Casemiro out of the Manchester United lineup to face Southampton in the Premier League last weekend.

United won 3-0, and the game also marked the debut of new midfield signing Manuel Ugarte, who slotted in alongside Kobbie Mainoo for the final 25 minutes of the game.

The Brazilian midfielder came back into the side for the Carabao Cup victory against Barnsley while Ugarte also got his first start in Red.

Ugarte is expected to replace Casemiro in the engine room when the team returns to Premier League action against Crystal Palace on the weekend.

What Ten Hag told Casemiro

Ten Hag was asked before the 3-0 win over Southampton whether he spoke to Casemiro about the signing of Ugarte since they will be directly in competition for a position on the field.

“Yeah, normally I do, yeah,” replied Ten Hag. “And also, in this case, I did as well, but such players, in our club especially, you know when you’re playing on this level that there is always competition.

“They also know in this club, you can only be successful when you have a squad where you have to cover five competitions.

“You can’t have a squad from where there are positions where we have only one player who can cover this, so you need at least two players in every position.

“It’s okay when you have very robust players, but he [Casemiro] understands, all the players understand, and then it’s about what is the best fit for the team by the end of the day.

“Then they have to take that responsibility to win games for your club.

United’s next game comes in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, 17 September, against Barnsley at Old Trafford.

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