Roy Keane’s verdict on Casemiro, Ugarte after United’s defeat against Leeds

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Manchester United suffered a brief setback in their pursuit of a top-four finish on Monday at Old Trafford, suffering a 2-1 defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Leeds United in the Premier League. A Noah Okafor brace secured all three points for the visitors, while Casemiro’s goal proved to be a mere consolation for the hosts.

The Red Devils were also reduced to 10 men after Lisandro Martinez’s controversial second-half red card. Michael Carrick’s team looked a little rusty following a three-week break, despite going on a four-day training trip to Ireland last week to keep the squad match-fit.

United looked off the pace in the first half, with Leeds creating several chances and causing a lot of problems in the opposition box. The Red Devils were without Harry Maguire, who was suspended for the game and proved to be a big miss.

However, club legend Roy Keane was quick to point his finger at two other players for allowing Leeds to control the game.

Non-existent midfield

Speaking after the game to Sky Sports, Keane slammed the midfield pairing of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte. He said: “They’ll be disappointed. They’ve had a lot of momentum over the last few months, [there’s been] a lot of praise for the manager.”

“There’s obviously been concerns going into the game that they haven’t played for a number of weeks. But the manager, Carrick, said that shouldn’t be a problem, they’ve had a training camp.”

“But it was the way that they started the game – you start the game that slowly and it’s hard to recover. And they didn’t in the first half. And what you’ve got to do in this game – we saw Man City do it in the second half yesterday – you’ve got to run!”

“They weren’t sprinting, United. And the bit at the end was too little too late. It’s a big setback for them. Midfield? Non-existent, the two of them, particularly in the first half, no energy, no quality. Leeds were out of the blocks quickly and it was a fantastic result for Leeds.”

Ugarte partnered Casemiro in the middle of the park after Kobbie Mainoo was ruled out of the game due to an unfortunate injury.

United’s midfield conundrum

United are expected to bolster their midfield this summer as they look to find the ideal partner for Kobbie Mainoo. The English midfielder has been excellent under Carrick and was a big miss against Leeds on Monday.

Fans will hope that the 20 year old can recover in time for the upcoming game against Chelsea on Saturday, 18 April. The Red Devils cannot afford to drop points against the Blues, who are sixth in the league but still in the race for the top four this season.

Race for the Premier League Top Four: 2025/26 Season

Pos	Team	Played	Wins	Draws	Defeats	Goals For	Goals Against	Goal Difference	Points	Next
1	Arsenal	32	21	7	4	62	24	38	70	Manchester City
2	Manchester City	31	19	7	5	63	28	35	64	Arsenal
3	Manchester United	32	15	10	7	57	45	12	55	Chelsea
4	Aston Villa	32	16	7	9	43	38	5	55	Sunderland
5	Liverpool	32	15	7	10	52	42	10	52	Everton
6	Chelsea	32	13	9	10	53	41	12	48	Manchester United

Source: Premier League website.

Monday’s defeat laid bare United’s lack of cover in the middle of the park, which is why they are expected to invest heavily in a new midfielder this summer. The Red Devils would ideally like to sign a replacement for Casemiro, who will end his stay at Old Trafford once his contract expires at the end of this season.

Meanwhile, all signs indicate that Ugarte will also be on his way after failing to convince so far.

Final Thoughts

United will have to regroup quickly for the upcoming game at Stamford Bridge, when they will hope to have Maguire back. Another defeat could derail the Red Devils’ season and also put Carrick’s candidature for the permanent job in jeopardy.

Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images

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