Erik ten Hag's brutal Casemiro admission sums up midfielder's Manchester United struggles this season

Casemiro will likely welcome this international break after enduring a torrid start to the season with Manchester United.

The 31-year-old looked like an excellent signing for most of last season, having joined in a £70million deal from Real Madrid the previous summer. His quality in central midfield shone and that winning mentality rubbed off on his teammates to secure the Carabao Cup and a third-place Premier League finish.

But things have not gone quite to plan so far this campaign. A lack of midfield support, combined with his ageing profile, has left the Brazilian exposed in the middle of the park all too often and confidence has subsequently taken a hit.

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United enjoyed an excellent 2-1 comeback win over Brentford on Saturday but for much of the game they looked set for defeat, and it was partly due to Casemiro. The veteran midfielder gave away possession with a sloppy pass in midfield and was unable to cover his own mistake, Thomas Frank's side breaking forward and Mathias Jensen beating Andre Onana.

Casemiro was hooked at half-time, replaced by Christian Eriksen with some concern that the defensive midfielder might be injured. In reality, the reason for his removal was far more concerning.

"I wanted more football," Erik ten Hag said of his decision to hook the Brazilian. "One who brings passing, distribution, link-up play. So I thought bring [on] Christian Eriksen for Case."

Casemiro signed for United as a defensive destroyer but showed in his debut campaign at Old Trafford how good he can be on the ball. The former Madrid man was often the anchor in possession, spraying the ball wide