Star Manchester United duo have “caught the Casemiro bug” as ex-player slams Burnley draw

Two Manchester United players have “caught the Casemiro bug” as Erik ten Hag’s team fell to a 1-1 draw against Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

After securing a thrilling 4-2 victory over Sheffield United earlier in the week, Manchester United fans were upbeat as they prepared to host Burnley at Old Trafford in the Premier League.

Both teams created numerous scoring opportunities during the match, yet neither managed to break the deadlock in the opening 80 minutes. It wasn’t until the latter stages of the game that Antony capitalised on a loose pass to give United the lead.

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However, a defensive lapse from Casemiro led to André Onana handing Burnley a penalty just five minutes after United’s goal. Zeki Amdouni confidently converted the penalty, resulting in a 1-1 draw as the final outcome.

The draw leaves United sitting sixth in the league table, just one point above Newcastle United and dangerously close to dropping into the Europa League places for next season.

Another bad performance

Speaking on Sky Sports after the fixture, former Premier League player and manager Tim Sherwood lambasted United’s performance.

“Another bad performance. Another performance without any style or playing identity,’ Sherwood said. “No DNA, which Dan Ashworth will be looking for when he comes in and Jason Wilcox.

“They’ve got their work cut out there, that’s for sure. They need to see a playing identity. Ten Hag has not just come into the job, he’s been there long enough. He has his own players.

“I can’t see what they do. In possession, they are all about moments and out of possession, they are a shambles. They really are. The worrying thing is that the midfield does not run; when the ball gets played behind them, their heads start wobbling.”

The Casemiro bug

Speaking further, Sherwood explained that, against Burnley, he felt like Christian Eriksen and Kobbie Mainoo had caught “the Casemiro bug” of jogging around the pitch.

“That’s down to the manager telling them and identifying it. Kobbie Mainoo, I like him, I really like him, but he has caught the Casemiro bug where he is jogging around the pitch. Christian Eriksen is the same – he is one of the most honest players you’re ever going to find.

“I think it is a culture there. Not willing to run. They aren’t running enough. They need to be able to run.

“If I was Kobbie’s agent or youth-team coach, I would say to him, ‘When you first went into the team, you ran around with a desire. You’re not doing that at the moment. Don’t fall into the trap of what they’re doing; you don’t have good examples there’.”

“Manchester United want to be like Arsenal and Man City, but they are miles away from that.”