Casemiro believes that Manchester United must find a way to "mirror" rivals Manchester City if they wish to bring back the glory days to Old Trafford.
Positive changes have been made off the field by the Red Devils over the past few months, with minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently purchasing his 27.7% stake in the club.
The Glazer family still hold a majority stake in the 20-time English champions, but British billionaire Ratcliffe – the CEO and chairman of INEOS – has full control of the club's football operations.
Ratcliffe, 71, recently outlined his plans to gradually transform Man United both on and off the pitch, with one of his long-term ambitions being to knock rivals Man City and Liverpool "off their perch" at the summit of English football.
However, since those comments surfaced, Man United have received a brutal reality check following back-to-back Premier League defeats against Fulham and Man City, with a 2-1 home loss against the former followed by a 3-1 away defeat to the latter on Sunday.
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Despite taking an early lead thanks to a stunning long-range strike from Marcus Rashford, the Red Devils were outclassed in all departments by their Sky Blue counterparts at the Etihad Stadium, with a brace from Phil Foden and a late strike from Erling Haaland helping the hosts come from behind at half time to claim maximum points.
Erik ten Hag's side, who have now lost 11 Premier League games this season, currently sit sixth in the table with their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread, as they are 11 points behind Aston Villa in fourth and six adrift of Tottenham Hotspur in fifth, while they are a whopping 18 and 19 points behind second-placed Man City and leaders Liverpool respectively.
Casemiro, who played the full 90 minutes against Man City, has acknowledged that one of Man United's 'big objectives' is to close the sizeable gap to their rivals and has urged the Red Devils to take a leaf out of the Citizens' book in their quest to return to the top.
"That is the big objective [to get to where Man City are]," Casemiro told ESPN Brazil after United's Manchester derby defeat. "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."
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Discussing the arrival of INEOS and Ratcliffe at Old Trafford, the midfielder added: "Of course, when people from outside arrive, who want to add and evolve the club's level, it is always important.
"It is very clear that the company [INEOS] and the new owners want to do this. I hope that they arrive and grow together with us, as it is important for the club to have people who want to grow here."
Casemiro is one of a number of Man United players that have been tipped to leave the club this summer, with the Red Devils allegedly required to generate funds from player sales to help Ratcliffe's first-team rebuild as well as comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.
The 31-year-old, who ended his nine-year association with Real Madrid to join United in an initial £60m deal in August 2022, has made a total of 71 appearances for Ten Hag's side in all competitions, including 20 outings so far this term.
Casemiro, who won the EFL Cup with United last season, is under contract at Old Trafford until the summer of 2026.
Oliver Thomas
