Man Utd stars claims Man City are ‘the team to beat’ & gives Ineos verdict

Casemiro has said Manchester City are currently ‘the team to beat’ and feels Manchester United should employ a similar approach to their local rivals.

The Red Devils lost 3-1 at the Etihad on Sunday in another bruising Manchester derby, where the visitors managed only three shots and accrued just 24 percent possession over 90 minutes. So much of the pre-match talk centred around Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s lofty aims of knocking City ‘off their perch’ but the gulf in class between the teams on Sunday highlighted just how far United are behind.

The club’s new co-owner didn’t hide his admiration for City during his introductory interviews and United officials are open that Ratcliffe’s plan involves tapping into some of the ‘best-in-class’ resources currently located in east Manchester. Omar Berrada has been pinched from City and ex-employee Jason Wilcox has also been targeted, while more are expected to follow.

United hope that off-the-field appointments will lead to success on the pitch, and Casemiro acknowledged there is a lot for Ratcliffe and Ineos to work on.

“That is the big objective,” he told ESPN Brazil. “We also have to be humble to accept that they are at the moment, not in history, as the history of Manchester United speaks for itself, but they are today the team to beat. 

“Everyone wants to beat City. We have a mirror here, which is City, and they have been doing a great job,” he added.

But Casemiro remains hopeful that Ratcliffe’s plans will have a positive effect on the club. "Of course, when people from outside arrive, who want to add and evolve the club's level, it is always important," said the ex-Real Madrid man.

"It is very clear that the company [INEOS] and the new owners want to do this. I hope that they [new owners] arrive and grow together with us, as it is important for the club to have people who want to grow here."

Meanwhile, Casemiro’s opinion that United lag far behind City seems to contrast with that of Erik ten Hag, who said there is not a chasm between the clubs at present.

“I don’t think so, absolutely not,” said the 54-year-old after the 3-1 loss at the Etihad. “You can see we have many problems in injuries and still we had an opportunity. Really small margins, we could have scored the second goal in a debatable moment.