Casemiro and Cristiano Ronaldo have given Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag an easy decision

On Tuesday night Casemiro and Cristiano Ronaldo might have sat down and watched Real Madrid's win in Glasgow while feeling a nostalgic pang for the big nights the Champions League can offer.

It ended as a routine win in the first group game, but the atmosphere marked it as a big occasion and the kind of night only the Champions League can deliver.

They won nine Champions League trophies between them in the Spanish capital, making winning the biggest prize in the club game in routine, but this week they had to settle for Thursday night football in Manchester this week.

READ MORE: Fred has given Ten Hag a new midfield problem

The game against Real Sociedad was their chance to make sure this was their latest appearance in this competition until the New Year, when interest goes from ice cold to tepid, but they might well find themselves in the team in Chisinau next week for a fixture neither would have circled a couple of weeks ago.

Casemiro is perhaps a little fortunate that Fred was so poor in United's midfield, as the Brazilian was little better. His passing accuracy with his head is probably better than his feet at the moment and it wasn't as physical or as mobile as Scott McTominay has been recently.

Ten Hag has spoken cautiously of the 30-year-old needing a "period of adaptation" and given he has started Antony in successive games within a week of signing, it might be an insight into the fact the former Real holding midfielder isn't as sharp as hoped in training.

He certainly looked sluggish in United's midfield on Thursday and as bizarre as this would have sounded a couple of weeks ago, McTominay has to be ahead of him at the moment.

Ronaldo would also have no complaints if he was back on the bench when Premier