Sky pundit Tim Sherwood has blasted one Manchester United player for a lack of effort, saying he has ‘caught the Casemiro bug’, against Burnley.
Manchester United played out yet another dreadful but not at all surprising match on Saturday as they could only eke out a 1-1 draw with relegation contenders Burnley.
It was an uninspiring performance, with the 19th-placed visitors enjoying more possession, and Erik ten Hag’s side only managed to score after a Burnley mistake.
Antony latched onto a wayward pass and showed cool composure to slot into the bottom corner in the 79th minute.
Yet, despite getting the lead so late, United were unable to hold on and conceded from the spot after Andre Onana needlessly punched goalscorer Zeki Amdouni in the face.
Onana had made several fine saves before his costly error but it meant only Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho got any sort of praise after the full-time whistle.
Even midfield prodigy Kobbie Mainoo came in for criticism, with Tim Sherwood not happy with his performance in the slightest.
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Tim Sherwood blasts Kobbie Mainoo’s performance vs Burnley
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, Sherwood said: “I like Kobbie Mainoo, I really like him.
“I see him, he has caught the Casemiro bug where he is jogging around the pitch.
“You can’t just play when you have got possession of the ball. Christian Eriksen is exactly the same.
“Now. he is one of the most honest players you are ever going to find. I think there is a culture there – not willing to run.
“They are not running enough. We know Bruno doesn’t want to do that, but Bruno is an exceptional player as a 10.
“I think they need to keep that man but they need to use him up there and conserve his energy because he can open people up.
“If I was Kobbie’s agent or a youth team coach, I would say to him, ‘Listen, when you first went into the team, you ran around with identity and determination and desire.
“‘You are not doing that at the moment. Don’t fall into the trap of what they are doing. You haven’t got good examples there at the moment.'”
Sherwood’s criticism of Kobbie Mainoo is misplaced
Sherwood is right to criticise Mainoo’s performance. He wasn’t very good or effective in the match.
It’s not all of his fault given his partner, Christian Eriksen, offers no energy in support, but he was one half of a midfield pivot that was easily cut open time and again.
It’s not due to a lack of effort, though. A player could just as easily run around all day and offer no quality, it’s about asserting himself on the game which he was unable to do.
Besides, as Ten Hag explained after the match as he defended his justifiable decision to take Mainoo off in the 64th minute, he is still a teenager playing his first season of top-level football. In his third game of the week, he is bound to be fatigued.
It doesn’t mean he isn’t putting in the effort, his energy levels are just depleted.
It’s more than fair to criticise a poor performance but there’s no reason to question his commitment.