Tim Sherwood claimed Manchester United midfielders Kobbie Mainoo and Christian Eriksen have ‘caught the Casemiro bug’ after the disappointing 1-1 draw with Burnley.
United’s struggles persisted on Saturday when Burnley, who are 19th in the league, managed to secure a draw at Old Trafford due to a late penalty by Zeki Amdouni.
Although they delivered another lackluster performance, Erik ten Hag’s team appeared set to secure a win when Antony scored the opening goal in the 79th minute.
However, Andre Onana gave away a penalty by recklessly rushing out and colliding with Amdouniafter a shocking Casemiro header. The Burnley substitute then got up to convert the penalty, securing a draw for his team.
Sherwood described Manchester United’s performance as ‘another bad one’ and accused Mainoo and Eriksen of ‘jogging around the pitch’.
‘Another bad performance. Another performance without any style or playing identity,’ Sherwood said on Sky Sports. ‘No DNA, which Dan Ashworth will be looking for when he comes in and Jason Wilcox.
‘They’ve got their work cut out there, that’s for sure. They need to see a playing identity. Ten Hag has not just come into the job, he’s been there long enough. He has his own players.
‘I can’t see what they do. In possession, they are all about moments and out of possession they are a shambles. They really are. The worrying thing is that the midfield does not run, when the ball gets played behind them their heads start wobbling.
‘That’s down to the manager telling them and identifying it. Kobbie Mainoo, I like him, I really like him, but he has caught the Casemiro bug where he is jogging around the pitch. Christian Eriksen is the same – he is one of the most honest players you’re ever going to find.
‘I think it is a culture there. Not willing to run. They aren’t running enough. They need to be able to run.
‘If I was Kobbie’s agent or youth-team coach I would say to him, ‘when you first went into the team you ran around with a desire. You’re not doing that at the moment. Don’t fall into the trap of what they’re doing, you don’t have good examples there’.
‘Manchester United want to be like Arsenal and Man City but they are miles away from that.’
The 1-1 draw positions Ten Hag’s team in sixth place in the Premier League trailing the top four by 13 points with just four league matches left. United also anticipate the FA Cup final, where they will face Manchester City at Wembley on May 25.
Meanwhile, Burnley remains in the relegation zone, sitting second to last, two points away from safety, while 17th-placed Nottingham Forest has a game in hand.