Rio Ferdinand: Casemiro Key In Manchester United Vs Manchester City Derby

Manchester United would likely lose in the Manchester Derby if Casemiro doesn’t perform, says Rio Ferdinand.

While the former United defender believes that the club are no longer reliant on individual players, he’s admitted that the Brazilian midfielder will be crucial in Manchester United’s hopes of beating City in the Premier League.

“[Manchester United] can’t say if one player turns up, [they’ll] be alright. Casemiro’s arguably the most important player this season. If he doesn’t turn up United will probably lose, but even if he does turn up they might not win.

“All of them need to turn up to win against City because no doubt they’ll be looking to come to Old Trafford and win,” said Ferdinand, speaking ahead of the Manchester derby, which kicks off live on BT Sport from 12:30pm on Saturday.

The match, which is set to take place at Old Trafford, will see a fourth-place United try to take points off their local rivals.

Manchester City, who are five points behind league leaders Arsenal, will hope that Erling Haaland, who has scored 21 Premier League goals in 16 games since arriving at Manchester City in the summer, will continue his fine form.

When asked how United can approach stopping Haaland, Ferdinand said: “I think [Everton’s] Ben Godfrey showed there is a way to nullify him a bit but he scored in that game,” referring to City’s 1-1 draw against Everton, where Godfrey tried to counteract Haaland’s play by being physical, and getting under his skin.
“But there’s a way to take him out of his comfort zone.

“I said after six or seven games, no one’s got on his face yet, no one’s laid a glove on him, no one’s smashed him. Godfrey’s probably been the closest to doing that but Haaland loves it to be fair. You’ve got to ask different questions of him and not give him free rein.”

While United may not have been as successful as City in recent years, there is newfound hope that the club is moving in the right direction under the guidance of Erik ten Hag, who Ferdinand says has “earned the respect of the players more because they can see his intentions.

“They can see what he wants now and there seems to be a lot of clarity. Discipline seems to be one of the essential factors that he’s hinging his tenure on, and if that’s not right, you don’t fit in.

“He’s hit big names at the top and come out unscathed, but it’s a message he’s sending to people at the top, and it’s going to be the same for everyone underneath. That’s a key factor for me.”

Ferdinand, who was a Manchester United player during Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure also said that managers that players both love and are simatoneosly scared of get the best out of players.

“Sir Alex Ferguson, you loved for who he was, but also there was an element of fear, and you didn’t want to disappoint him. That’s a big thing – not wanting to disappoint the manager. You want to please them all the time.

“I had the feeling that Sir Alex Ferguson was never completely satisfied, and he always wanted more. Ten Hag looks like a bit of a perfectionist. Pep [Guardiola] is like that, you can see – they can win 4-0, and he’s not happy with something. That just keeps the culture and the levels of consistency high.”

Despite the progress under Ten Hag, United still have room to improve if they want to reach the level of title contenders. The team last won the Premier League in the 2012/13 season, and according to Ferdinand, the club needs to improve a few aspects before they reach that level again.

“They shouldn’t be [talked about as contenders] because of what’s gone on in the last few years. To change that, you’ve got to win something, or you’ve got to be right at the front of the pack. There’s no need to talk about United like that, and I don’t think the manager would want to be talked about like that, either.

“They’ve still got so much to prove – they’ve not proved they can go on a 15-game unbeaten run, but City have, Liverpool have. United aren’t in that realm yet.

“Recruitment’s massive. It was interesting to hear the manager talk about that and how recruitment in years gone by hasn’t been good enough. If they can get that right in this window and, more importantly, in the summer, and get two or three who have the same impact [Lisandro] Martinez and Casemiro have had, United will close the gap.

“I don’t know if they’ll catch anyone, but they make strides again. Ten Hag’s shown that he’s improving players, he’s shown that he’s raising the standards on a day-to-day basis, but you also need the players to come in and hit the ground running.”

One player that has yet to find his stride at United is Jadon Sancho, who Ten Hag confirmed in December was struggling both physically and mentally. Ferdinand believes it’s difficult to assess his future at United because of his lack of playing time.

“I don’t think any of us know enough about the situation. We just don’t know, so it’s difficult. When you see someone playing, you can get an understanding, but because Jadon’s not under the spotlight, it’s difficult to judge the situation.”

With the transfer window now open, United are reportedly set to sign Wout Weghorst, who is on loan at Besiktas from Burnley until the end of the season, with the club wanting to strengthen up front. Ten Hag will likely want to look at more incomings either in this window or in the summer, but Ferdinand believes that it’s not always about a big name.

“If they don’t get [Kylian] Mbappe, which I don’t think they will, that doesn’t mean they can’t compete.

“They’ve done that for the last ten years, made massive statement signings that haven’t worked. It’s about who’s the right fit for this club and this manager.”