MANCHESTER UNITED need to “mirror” rivals Manchester City if they are to taste success once more, midfielder Casemiro has admitted.
Erik ten Hag‘s men deservedly lost 3-1 to the Premier League champions at the Etihad on Sunday.
It is Man Utd‘s sixth defeat from the last seven Manchester derbies, a statistic indicative of Man City‘s dominance over the last decade.
Positivity off the field through Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 27.7 per cent takeover at Old Trafford has been somewhat dented following back-to-back defeats to Fulham and Man City.
The results leave them 11 points adrift of fourth-place Aston Villa and a huge 19 behind league leaders Liverpool.
And Casemiro believes Man Utd need to look at the template set by local adversaries Man City if they are to get themselves back to winning trophies on a regular basis.
He told ESPN Brasil: “That is the big objective [to get to where City are].
“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. We have a mirror here, which is City, and they have been doing a great job.”
Man Utd, without a league title since Sir Alex Ferguson‘s final season in charge in 2013, have watched neighbours Man City claim six Premier League crowns over the last decade.
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Yet despite the clear disparity between the two sides, Casemiro claimed Ten Hag’s men were “comfortable” for some of Sunday’s derby, before the game got away from them.
He added: “We started well. We know that City like to have control of the game, but we were always comfortable.
“Of course, when they press you, they always create opportunities, but we also had some opportunities to make counterattacks.
“It ended up that we went back to the second half and conceded the goal very early.”
Ratcliffe, 71, has already employed Sir Dave Brailsford and Omar Berrada as part of a new-look Man Utd board.
They are also planning to acquire Newcastle man Dan Ashworth as sporting director.
But on the field progress is difficult to see as Ten Hag’s men have regressed since their third-place finish last season.
They now face a huge uphill task to secure Champions League qualification for next season – a competition they were knocked out of in the group stage back in December.
Next up for Man Utd is a Saturday lunchtime clash with Everton at Old Trafford, before they host Liverpool in an FA Cup quarter-final on March 17.