Jamie Carragher believes Manchester United made a mistake in paying big money to Real Madrid for Casemiro
Former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher, while writing in his column for the Telegraph (h/t the Express) believes that Manchester United star Casemiro was not a good signing for the club in the long-term.
United paid over £70m to Real Madrid for the signing of Casemiro but Carragher believes that the Brazilian national team captain will not be able to repay the transfer fee value with his spell at United.
“Caicedo and Rice are examples of thinking ahead – going big now to save cash for the next six or seven years in which they will assume their role.
I never believed Casemiro would be value for money. Not because there is any doubt that he has been a world-class player.
But because he is at a stage of his career when he cannot fully repay United’s massive fee.”
Jamie Carragher believes Casemiro is past his prime (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
While it is true that Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo are world class players. It is obvious that Arsenal and Chelsea respectively have top class talents on their hands for the next foreseeable future.
However, it would be wrong to first of all equate Casemiro with these two players and at the same time berate the midfielder over one bad performance. Casemiro was crucial to us in his first season at the club and without his presence, one could argue that we might not have secured top three and a trophy.
At the same time, the games that he missed showcased the drop in quality of the whole squad and showed how he is the glue between defence and attack.
Manchester United midfielder Casemiro is the catalyst between defence and attack (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
The situations at every club is different and Casemiro was signed not just for his on field actions but also for the leadership role and presence that he would bring to the dressing room. To be fair, he has met all the criterias in his first season at Old Trafford.
A serial winner, he would know how to cope up with big time pressure and can lay his experience on a relatively young United squad under Erik Ten Hag. Casemiro might not last us a decade but his lessons can live on through the youngsters he educates.
Hence, there is no doubt that Carragher, like many of his opinions, is somewhat wrong here and while it is true that United would need a replacement for him in the coming seasons, for the current team and situation, Casemiro is the exact player that we need.
