Ten Hag Lauds Casemiro and United’s Near Top-Four Finish After Victory over Bournemouth

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag expressed his optimism about the team’s chances of securing a top-four finish, following their hard-fought 1-0 victory over Bournemouth. The Dutch tactician specifically praised the outstanding performance of Casemiro, who played a pivotal role in their triumph.

Ten Hag, speaking in the post-match press conference, stated,

“I think Casemiro continues to surprise us with his brilliance on the field. He is a truly exceptional football player… He excels in organization, positioning, anticipation, intercepting balls, winning duels, and unifying the team. Moreover, his distribution and finishing are simply exceptional.”

The winning goal came after just nine minutes, with Casemiro’s acrobatic effort finding the back of the net in spectacular fashion. Ten Hag acknowledged the significance of the strike, saying,

“It was a fantastic goal from Casemiro, a brilliant finish. At 1-0, I was a bit nervous as we could have easily made a mistake and conceded. We needed to secure the win.”

Although United are on the verge of securing a top-four spot, ten Hag remained cautious, remarking,

“We are nearly there in terms of the top four, but we are not there yet. We still need to secure a win.”

United missed the services of Marcus Rashford due to illness and failed to add to their lead. However, goalkeeper David de Gea came to the team’s rescue with a crucial save six minutes before the final whistle, resulting in him being awarded the Premier League’s Golden Glove for keeping another clean sheet.

Reflecting on the match, ten Hag commented,

“The only criticism is that we didn’t manage to seal the game with a second goal. This team has a unique way of playing, and scoring goals is not always easy.”

Liverpool’s late equalizer against Aston Villa has kept the race for the top four alive. However, United now need just one point from their remaining two matches against Chelsea and Fulham to accomplish their goal.