Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says Casemiro did not start the derby due to the club’s recent good form.

Prior to the 6-3 defeat at the Etihad on Sunday, Scott McTominay had been performing well in the holding midfield role, but ten Hag says he expects Casemiro to feature prominently over the coming weeks and months:

“On the day we signed him, we started to win and it’s about the team. The team is doing really well, it’s not against Casemiro, it’s for, in this case, Scott McTominay, he performed great in the team and then we get into a run. But I’m sure it will be important for us in the long and short-term, he will find himself in the team but it has to come in a natural way.”

You don’t spend nearly £70m on a player for him to sit on the bench and it’s likely that Casemiro will play regularly from now on, starting with Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League on Thursday evening.

The Brazilian international has looked rusty in the appearances he has made for the Red Devils so far but he needs minutes to get up to speed so you would hope that he is in line to start in back-to-back fixtures in Cyprus and against Everton this Sunday.

While reinforcing the midfield with Casemiro will definitely help fix certain defensive problems, a lot more will be required to ensure that United’s vulnerable backline is sufficiently protected.