Casemiro entered the derby late.

Paul Scholes is not the first, nor will he be the last, to criticize the activities of Manchester United in the transfer market. In fact, he is not even the first.

Scholes has questioned the summer that has just passed, despite the fact that many people were critical of the scattershot approach that United took the previous year, specifically how they clearly only signed Cristiano Ronaldo because they were terrified of the prospect of him playing in the blue half of Manchester. The transfer window came to an end with the club having made six acquisitions that, at the very least on paper, have greatly boosted the squad. This occurred despite the fact that it took some time for things to get underway.

Erik ten Hag, the Dutch manager, has relied on his previous connections with Ajax and the Netherlands to bring in players who are already familiar to him. As a result, four of the five new outfielders have been elevated to regular starting positions in his squad. All four of Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, and Antony have made respectable debuts for Old Trafford so far in their careers. However, the one who hasn't started a game in the Premier League yet stands out like the sixth album that Arctic Monkeys released: Casemiro and Tranquility Base Hotel.

United spent sixty million pounds to acquire the immensely experienced and successful Brazilian player, but Scholes questions whether or not this was a signing that Ten Hag wanted at all. "Jadon Sancho was a young kid that Manchester United spent a lot of money on, who was unproven in the league," he stated on The Overlap. "Manchester United spent a lot of money on him even though he was inexperienced in the league." And why would a club of Real Madrid's caliber allow Varane to leave? When you looked at him throughout the previous year, he didn't have the correct look. My impression was that it was not a very good transfer window.

"No one in the club is willing to take responsibility for what happened. Even in this year's competition, Casemiro was completed over the course of two days. I can't help but wonder whether the manager was the one who made the signing. A significant sum of money and a lengthy commitment. I believe that they should appoint someone to be in charge of the recruitment process. In the end, the manager will be the one to take the fall for it. Casemiro's four Premier League appearances to date have all come off the bench, late cameos to help see out wins before he got a taste of what United have been through in recent years as he trudged on with his side down 4-1 against Manchester City. He has a right to wonder about this given that all of Casemiro's Premier League appearances to date have come off the bench.

In hindsight, it was clear that those who predicted that Casemiro would be necessary from the beginning of the match against Pep Guardiola's team to assist in the fight against their world-class midfield were correct. Before the game, Ten Hag gave an explanation for his team's starting lineup, explaining that they had all earned their spots by virtue of their recent strong play, which included a victory over the team that was currently atop the standings, Arsenal.

There are valid points to be made for either position. It is indicative of naivety to fail to make adjustments in response to an exceptionally powerful team, or it is essential to maintain consistency and rhythm, as well as demonstrate confidence and attempt to impose one's own game on opponents. After suffering yet another humiliating loss at the hands of formidable adversaries, adjustments need to be made regardless.

The first and foremost of these is to at long last begin incorporating Casemiro into the starting lineup. United has been clamoring for years to acquire a proper defensive midfielder, and now they have their hands on one of the best players to emerge from the position in the past ten years. Scott McTominay had been playing well in recent weeks, but on Sunday he demonstrated once again that he has a ceiling and that he cannot be a part of a United team that aspires to do greater things.

Coming to a new league after spending so much time in Madrid will require some time to acclimate, and he was a bit rusty in his one and only start against Real Sociedad in the Europa League, even though that match was played in exceptional conditions following the death of the Queen. Ten Hag has decent reasoning for not starting Casemiro so far. Coming to a new league after spending so much time in Madrid will require some time to acclimate.

However, it is difficult to justify too much when it seems pretty obvious that if United had been successful in signing Frenkie de Jong, who would also have come in from Spain, there is no chance that he would have been benched for his first four games. If United had signed Frenkie de Jong, he would have also come in from Spain. As was the case with Antony, another player that it was obvious that Ten Hag was desperate to sign, he would have been inserted into the starting XI at the very first available opportunity.

It already seems pretty clear just by the fact that he wasn't familiar with him from his past, as Scholes suggests, that Casemiro wasn't a Ten Hag signing. This is evidenced by the fact that he wasn't familiar with him from his past. If the No. 18 doesn't start playing when it's obvious that United need his world-class ability, Scholes will be proven even more right or wrong in the coming weeks as the extent to which that stretches proves either right or wrong.