Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been sent a warning that Casemiro and Cristiano Ronaldo may not be "on side" at the club after the Dutchman named the pair on the substitutes bench for the Manchester derby.
Ten Hag's first Manchester derby was far from the ideal return from the international break that the Dutchman would have hoped for. United will be keen to regroup and refocus on Sunday night's Everton fixture in the Premier League, as they look to get back to winning ways.
One of the big talking points after the 6-3 defeat was Ten Hag's decision to pick Scott McTominay over Casemiro once again. The Brazilian is yet to start in the league for United, as he joined Ronaldo on the bench for last Sunday's derby.
Speaking on Soccer Saturday, former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood had his say on Ten Hag's decision to leave Ronaldo on the bench "out of respect" for his career.
He said: "It is a difficult decision for the manager, I think he did the right thing. But I would have asked him, one of the greatest player the world has ever seen, I would have asked the question, 'are you up for coming on?', and I am sure the answer would have been yes. He needs one goal for his 700th goal. He don’t care when it comes, and it will come soon, but he needs the game time to be able to achieve it.
Casemiro and Ronaldo were also seen in conversation as they sat next to each other on the bench at the Etihad Stadium, something that Sherwood felt was not a good omen for Ten Hag at the club.
He said: "For me, that wasn’t a good look, him looking at Casemiro there. If I was the manager and I turn around and I am watching them two whispering around, I am thinking, 'I’m not sure if they are on side.' Why has be bought Casemiro to the club? He’s fully fit, give him the opportunity to play, get him on the pitch as soon as you can.
"We are talking about a five-time Champions League winner, why on earth is he sitting next to Cristiano Ronaldo, the greatest player we have seen on the bench? It’s different if you have top-drawer players on the pitch but those two are good enough to play in the Manchester United side."
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