'I spoke to him' - what Erik ten Hag told Casemiro after Manchester United signed Manuel Ugarte

Erik ten Hag revealed he had spoken to Casemiro to explain his reasoning for signing another holding midfielder as the Brazilian prepares for a battle with Manuel Ugarte to get into the Manchester United team.

Casemiro endured a disappointing second season at the club after his £60m move from Real Madrid and his reputation took a further battering two weeks ago when he was at fault for both of Liverpool's first-half goals in their 3-0 win at Old Trafford.

The 32-year-old was taken off at half-time and replaced by 20-year-old league debutant Toby Collyer. He was linked with a move to Turkey during the international break, with their transfer window only closing this coming Wednesday, but he is keen to stay and fight for his place.

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Ten Hag sees Ugarte's £42m deadline day arrival from Paris Saint-Germain as a move that will add competition to the squad, with two players now capable of playing the holding midfield role, but he did hold discussions with five-time Champions League winner Casemiro to explain his thinking.

"I normally do talk to him and in this case I did as well but players in our club know you are playing at this level there is always competition, they also know you can only be successful if you have a squad that covers," said Ten Hag.

"You can’t have a squad where you only have one player who can cover this – you need at least two for each position, sometimes it is three for two. That is okay when you have very robust players.

"All the players will understand – then it’s about what is the best fit for the team. They have to prove it, the key