Erik ten Hag signing has 10 games to save his Manchester United career - but fans love him

There was a moment when Casemiro lost the ball on Saturday afternoon and stood with his hands on his hips. That has happened far too often this season.

Casemiro had a point to prove when he returned from injury in January and there was a suggestion that if he didn't recapture his form, he would be sold at the end of the campaign. The Brazilian returned against Newport County in the FA Cup and failed to ease concerns he'd regressed. It wasn't a convincing comeback against fourth tier opposition and his performances have been up and down since, and clearly not at the level of last season.

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The Casemiro of last term didn't lose the ball regularly - like he did against Everton - he provided cover to the backline and even chipped in with important goals. At the weekend his passing was wayward and the Toffees were able to break forward on various occasions when he lost the ball, albeit they weren't able to score.

A better side would have taken advantage and Casemiro will be thankful he made those mistakes against a struggling team. His pass completion rate was below 70 per cent by the interval and it was just 76 per cent at the final whistle, the second-lowest of any outfield United player. He lost possession 17 times overall - only Everton defender Ben Godfrey lost it more among all outfield players - and Casemiro will be aware that's simply not good enough.

United cannot afford to be so wasteful in possession when they struggle to retain the ball at the best of times and it seems like Casemiro is nearing an exit from the club. Although there were fears that United were signing a player in