Casemiro urges Man Utd to 'mirror' Man City after derby defeat | OneFootball

Casemiro has insisted that Manchester United must find a way to 'mirror' Manchester City following yet another derby defeat.

The Red Devils were beaten 3-1 by City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, eventually wilting to the home side's sustained pressure after initially going ahead thanks to a stunning Marcus Rashford goal.

A Phil Foden brace and an Erling Haaland goal proved to be the difference between the sides on the day, extending City's lead over Man Utd in the league to a rather astonishing 18 points.

Speaking about the huge points differential and third consecutive defeat to their arch rivals, midfielder Casemiro admitted that the 'big objective' is to close the gap.

"That is the big objective, we also have to be humble to accept that they are at the moment, not in history, as the history of Manchester United speaks for itself, but they are today the team to beat. Everyone wants to beat City," Casemiro said to ESPN Brasil.

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"We have a mirror here, which is City, and they have been doing a great job."

Under new INEOS ownership, Man Utd have already made moves in order to 'mirror' their crosstown rivals' rise to the top of the European game, hiring the City Football Group's chief of football operations Omar Berrada as their new chief executive.

Along with hiring Berrarda from under City's noses, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS are also keen to implement a similar pay structure to the one currently in place at the Etihad Stadium.

Ratcliffe is keen to target a bonus-led pay structure, with players earning substantial salaries due to their performances on the pitch - thus keeping basic pay lower than previous.