Louis Saha Exclusive: Varane and Casemiro deserve more respect from Erik ten Hag

Louis Saha spoke to BettingOdds.com yesterday. The ex-Manchester United forward discussed Kobbie Mainoo’s emergence, why Alejandro Garnacho still has a lot to improve on after his overhead kick and why he doesn’t agree with Jim Ratcliffe reportedly wanting to bring Carlo Ancelotti and Timo Werner to the club.

How impressed were you with Kobbie Mainoo in midfield against Everton?

"It was an incredible start for Mainoo, especially considering he has just come back from an injury. He showed confidence, willingness to receive the ball and had great positioning which at a young age is very impressive. It’s a good start, and now he needs to find consistency in his game to reach the top. He will have to lean on the more experienced players like Casemiro and Amrabat, both of which can really help his development. We can see straight away he has so much quality and he will be an incredible asset for Manchester United and Erik ten Hag, because he needs players like Mainoo who are energetic and aggressive."

England are short on midfield depth. If he keeps playing like he did on Sunday could he make a late run for the Euros squad?

"Who knows? A good comparison is Warren Zaire-Emery from PSG, who is just 17 and has had a run of games and now looks likely to go to the Euros with France. If Mainoo brings consistency and keeps playing at a high level then he could definitely give Southgate something to think about. It will be important for England to want to avoid another Rashford situation though, where he was maybe called up too early and played in too many games too soon. Mainoo has talent, but he still has so much to learn now and it’s only been one game."

Ex-Chelsea striker Timo Werner has been linked with a move to United. Do you think he would be a good addition?

"I haven’t ever seen Timo Werner play really well in the Premier League, I wasn’t impressed when he was at Chelsea. I know he had a very good record before that, but I’m not so sure he would be right for United. I just want to see players that play with confidence playing for United. This team needs eight or nine players that are consistent and are strong mentally, and they currently maybe have three or four. I don’t think Werner is either of those things. I don’t think he provides that guarantee in terms of stability and confidence, United really need that."

Is a striker needed to ease the burden on Hojlund?

"It was nice to see Anthony Martial scoring and playing well against Everton because that will help Hojlund, but they definitely need more competition in that position. A young player like Hojlund will learn from having a more experienced player in the squad that can teach him the right movement and positioning. At the moment, there is too much expected of him. When I joined United I had Van Nistelrooy, and then later Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez to learn from and it made me so much better having them there. At the moment, Hojlund has no one to learn from. I know Rashford is there but I don’t think he has helped with Hojlund’s confidence. This is the same in every position - in midfield for instance, young Mainoo will need help from Casemiro and Eriksen, you can’t just ask young players to know how to perform in the Premier League straight away."

Which was better, Garnacho's or Rooney’s overhead kick?

"Both Rooney and Garnacho’s overhead kicks were extraordinary goals. Obviously, I have a preference for Rooney’s though because of the context of the derby game, the pressure he was under at that time. I do think Garnacho got a slightly better connection on his and it was an amazing goal. He won’t get many opportunities like that in his career to score a goal like that again. I’m very pleased for him, but now he needs to learn to score the easier goals a bit more consistently. There are moments where he really needs to improve, to understand where to attack, and that will define his game, not overhead kicks. I want to see consistency from him in providing dangerous play, scoring and assisting goals. Those extraordinary moments like his goal against Everton won’t happen all the time and he still has to improve a lot to be an important member of the team and to recognise his potential."

Manchester United are currently at the top of the Premier League form table and are now only six points off 1st, is it crazy to say they’re in the title race?

"Until it’s done, It’s not crazy to say that it’s possible United can win the league. That’s football. As it is, they had one month of terrible results where it was impossible to see any improvement in the style of play, and this month you can see they are still nowhere near where they should be, even if the results have been better. I don’t see a team that is filled with quality, creating chances and a fire inside them when the pressure is on. Everton had large parts of the game where they dominated Manchester United and that is not a good sign. It’s clear that the confidence level within the United squad is not high at the moment and they are a long way off the teams at the top of the league, even if they are only six points behind them."

Both Rashford and Martial ended their goal droughts against Everton, is that what they needed to kick on and perform this season?

"Scoring could be a huge turning point in the season for both Rashford and Martial. As a striker you always need to be scoring goals to give you that confidence. It’s obvious they both have so much quality but for them it is about gaining the confidence to perform consistently. It is very important that they kick on now and keep working hard to create chances for themselves and their teammates. They need goals, they need to put the one or two chances they get in the game away now. This team is starting to gel together now, and that will help the forwards to keep scoring goals."

Both Casemiro and Varane are struggling for game time under ten Hag now and look to be on the fringes of the squad. Was signing those two aging players on such big wages and big transfer fees a mistake?

"If you consider the amount of money spent on big players like Varane and Casemiro, it could be seen as a mistake. But at the same time, they are not complaining, both ready to perform when given the opportunity. The thing I can see with ten Hag is he tends to be willing to make more harsh selection decisions on the players that have way more experience than the young players who still have a lot to learn. These players are the finished product, and it’s clear ten Hag will say if you don’t perform for two or three games then you are out, which maybe gives a strong message to the rest of the players that if Varane or Casemiro can be dropped, then anybody can be. That could be good, but it is a risky strategy for ten Hag. I feel like you have to give those players a bit more respect, because they didn’t join United to sit on the bench."

Would you be starting Maguire or Varane at the moment?

"Harry Maguire is in better form than Varane at the moment so he deserves to start. He accepted when he was on the bench and not playing that he would have to take his opportunity when it came and he has done that and come in and performed really well. He could have left the club, but he remained and credit to him. Now, Varane has the same challenge. He needs to see what Maguire did and learn from that."

Despite Maguire and Lindelof’s form improving, Is it still clear a centre back is needed in January?

"Manchester United probably don’t need to improve the defence in the transfer window. There’s been a lot of injuries and Maguire and Lindelof have stepped up, Luke Shaw can play there and Martinez will be back soon. They need to not panic and give the players some stability and consistency because there are a lot of good defenders in the squad and it would be a mistake to bring someone in who would then be benched once everyone is fit."

Rumours are that when Jim Ratcliffe takes over at United he plans to replace ten Hag with Carlo Ancelotti - would you agree with this?

"I’m a big fan of Erik ten Hag and I like what he is trying to do. I think it would be very harsh to sack him and replace him with Ancelotti. Of course, Ancelotti is one of the best managers in the world, and I can see why Ratcliffe would be thinking this way, but I don’t think it would be the right choice for Manchester United. It would be very hard for Ancelotti to come and change things immediately because there’s so much wrong with the club behind the scenes that is not the role of the manager to fix."

How tough will Newcastle at SJP be for United on Saturday night?

"It will be very tough for United at St. James’ Park this weekend. Even though Newcastle have had a lot of injuries recently they have been in very good form and they are playing very well. They had a very harsh and painful result against PSG, but you can see they are well organised and hard to beat. They are inspired under Eddie Howe and that is a huge credit to him. I can see the Newcastle players have more confidence in themselves and their ability than the Manchester United players do at the moment, and until Manchester United get that confidence to the level it needs to be, games like this will be very hard to compete in. Newcastle are very good at opening up teams, comfortable defending and have a tactic that really works for them."

Despite all of their injuries Newcastle are still looking dangerous. Just how impressive a job has Eddie Howe done there?

"I have always said that what Eddie Howe has done at Newcastle is so impressive. He has created a team that has great balance and a great link between the players. They bought the right players in, and I am a big fan of the fact they kept the players that have been with Newcastle for a long time so they know what the club is about. Trippier, Bruno and Isak have all been fantastic signings and you have to give credit to the manager and the staff for instilling confidence in the players. I really enjoy watching them play. They have a wonderful goalkeeper in Nick Pope, big, strong defenders and skillful players further up the pitch. I love what Eddie Howe is doing up in Newcastle."

Our Thoughts

Both Casemiro and Raphael Varane could be heading out of the exit door at Old Trafford this summer as a new era under the leadership of Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to begin.

So how will United fare next season? Where do the bookies see the Red Devils finishing under their new leadership team? Get the latest Premier League betting odds here and don't forget to take advantage of some free betting offers ahead of the campaign getting underway.