Ince impressed with reconstruction of United's presence

BUILDING: Manchester United's Wout Weghorst shoots at goal. Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire. 

“Under construction” was the neat phrase summoned by Brazilian midfielder Casemiro to describe the revolution being overseen by Erik ten Hag at Manchester United this season but, as his club marches on on four trophy fronts this week, there is little doubt who is the on-field architect.

United, leading 3-0 from the semi-final first leg against Nottingham Forest, will surely book a place in the EFL Cup Final on Wednesday and, while defeat at Arsenal makes a title run near-impossible, Ten Hag’s team looks odds-on for a top-four finish.

A Europa League clash beckons with Barcelona next month and, thanks to his two goals against Reading, United will also have an FA Cup fifth round tie to look forward to.

Ten Hag is not the sort to get carried away, and his players reflect that stoic caution, but Casemiro, whose £60 million summer signing from Real Madrid looks one of the deals of the season, is not only optimistic but also integral to the club’s development.

"We have to see what the reality is and we are still club under construction,” he said.

“Of course we are already respected, the opponents know we're strong, that we have good dynamics, the manager is doing a good job, the players as well.

“Manchester United is a big club; in my opinion, if we look at the titles, it's the biggest in England. In our lives we have to have goals and challenges.

“It was a challenge for me to keep growing and developing in my career. The job is on with a lot of humility by knowing there's a lot to improve, but all the players need to be congratulated now. We're on a good path. This is the way to win titles, but we need to keep growing."

Paul Ince, no stranger to operating in a powerful Manchester United midfield, was quick to sing Casemiro’s praises after his two wonderful strikes effectively knocked his team out of the cup, before Fred added a third and Amadou Mbengue headed a consolation.

But he also rightly pointed out that Casemiro’s performance against a lowly Championship side was irrelevant. The 30-year-old will be judged, instead, by his displays against United’s peers - Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, and the like.

"When you arrive at a new club, you always dream of making history, especially if we see the greatness of this club,” said Casemiro.

“We know the history. But of course, I was aware of needing some time to adapt and of the rivals having a long-term plan before ours, like Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, they all have managers that have been there for a while and they have an advantage.

“I’m happy with my adaptation here, my teammates and the staff are really helping me, also with the English language. It's been quite hard but I'm really trying to get better.

“I’m very comfortable at Manchester United, extremely happy to be here and enjoying every moment like a 15-year-old kid! But the most important is to see the team growing."

The two goals doubled Casemiro’s tally for the season to four and, when his five assists are taken into consideration, means he has now been involved in more goals for United than he was in an entire 48-game campaign with Real Madrid last season.

It offers another example of Ten Hag getting the most out of his players and a squad that lacks any significant depth. If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer consistently failed to squeeze the maximum out of an underachieving squad, then Ten Hag sits at the other end of the scale.

To hear Casemiro describe it, however, the Dutchman’s success lies primarily in one very simple achievement - he has brought enjoyment and team spirit.

"I'm grateful for the compliments I've been receiving, but the key to all of that is: I'm really enjoying myself here. I'm very happy and I do feel at home,” said Casemiro.

“I can only be grateful. We know we're progressing within a plan, step by step we're building a well-structured team and this is important. To win titles in the future, you have to build a solid foundation."

Meanwhile, with every passing week, belief grows, within the squad and fan base, that Ten Hag is about to end United’s six-year wait for silverware; a point even appreciated by the United supporter that still lingers in their former star Ince.

“I felt if we had played United in this tie a year ago, we would have had a right chance of beating them,” said Ince. “I feel United had lost their presence, teams were coming here and thinking they could get something out of Old Trafford.

“Under Ten Hag, in such a short space of time, he has lifted the whole club. The last few years have been tough for Man United, there has been a disconnect between the fans, the players, the club.

“Ten Hag has started to bridge that gap, you saw that today, and the fans are buying into what’s going on at the club. It is going to take time but they are starting to have a presence about them and, going back to the Fergie years, that’s what we had - a presence.” 

MAN UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea 6 - Wan-Bissaka 7, Lindelof 7, Maguire 7, Malacia 5 - Casemiro 9 (Mainoo 73, 5), Eriksen 7 (Fred 57, 8) - Antony 6, Fernandes 7 (Pellistri 68, 6), Rashford 7 (Garnacho 68, 6) - Weghorst 7 (Elanga 72, 5)

Subs not used: Martinez, Varane, Heaton, Williams.

READING (5-3-2): Lumley 5 (Bouzanis 75, 5) - Hoilett 5 (Mbengue 69, 7), Yiadom 5, Holmes 6, McIntyre 5, Rahman 5 - Hendrick 5 (Craig 75, 5), Loum 5 (Fornah 61, 5), Ince 6; Lucas Joao 6 (Long 76, 5), Carroll 4. 

Subs not used: Dann, Meite, Azeez, Guinness-Walker.

Referee: England 7